Quirkless!
by MentalMind
Summary: The Quirkless Vigilante, Izuku Midoriya, must juggle the life of being a U.A Teacher and loving, caring, devoted father while maintaining the secret of his alter ego.
1. First Night

The barrel of a gun reflected the iris of a man on its receiving end. "PUT THE MONEY IN THE **DAMN** BAG! **HURRY UP**!", the pistol wielding fellow ushered the cashier in a panicked frenzy.

A trio of thieves were robbing some desolate convenience store in the underbelly of Hosu City. The criminals were counting on such a low populated vicinity to shroud them from being thwarted by authorities or any pro heroes. It was twelve o' clock exactly, the late hour of midnight meant nobody would be interfering with their armed robbery. Not that they needed a gun to pull off the heist, two of the gang members had clearly visible quirks and the lone store owner stood no chance.

One of the lanky crooks had porcupine quills protruding from his body, the needles stabbed straight through a gray hoodie and dark blue jeans. The second criminal wore a black jacket with matching sweatpants, his skin a rough red stone appearance as if he were a brick wall. The ringleader stood in the center with his firearm still aimed, his particular quirk remained a mystery due to no visible side effects. As for the cashier who finished filling a backpack full of cash, his quirk matched an overweight appearance, he could expand his fat to a certain extent. However, the pufferfish type quirk didn't seem like a good idea against three far superior thieves. Instead of fighting back, he handed the week's earnings over and allowed the trio to rush out of his store with victorious snickering.

The three burglars rounded a corner before disappearing into the darkness of a foreboding alleyway. The convenience store owner wasted no time in dialing 911 after the culprits fled, unwilling of pursuing the criminals and risking his life. The crooks cackled as they sorted through the money they had stolen, turning the sprint into a jog. The man with red brick for flesh highfived his leader while the porcupine howled with laughter.

"We got _mad stacks_ fellas!", the boss sneered as he glanced back at the place they had just robbed. Wads of Benjamins tumbled out of his hands like a deck of cards being tossed into the sky.

"Hey man, shouldn't we look through all that later? We should put some distance between us and this place first, ya know?", the quill quirk criminal voiced his concern through a suggestion when he wasn't chuckling about the success of their theft.

"Why do you always gotta kill the vibe by saying those sorta things?!", the brick bandit complained as he gathered up stray dollar bills that had become strewed across the alley.

"Don't worry about it! The cops won't get here for another forty minutes, and it isn't like there's some sorta hero in the area!", the group leader reassured his friends while assisting in picking up dropped money. None of the thieves noticed a fourth shadowy figure perched on the fire escape above them.

"Yeah, you're probably right..", the needle protruding punk laughed off his worries. Like a bad omen to counteract his statement, the streetlight that dimly lit their alleyway began flickering. All of the crooks jumped in terror as the bulb popped and flashed. "It.. just shorted out.. You should've seen your faces.", the porcupine teased his team members.

"You got scared too!", the brick bandit pointed an accusing finger.

"Cut it out! You two are just like a couple of kids.. Come on, let's get outta here. This place is giving me the creeps anyway..", the leader motioned for his partners to follow.

Before the ternion could leave, the fourth figure that had been spying on them landed in their way. The triad took a few steps back as they tried to get a look at the newcomer. A dark green shadow casted its shape over them as it stood straight. A long tattered cloth blew in the wind like some sort of scarf, giving off an eerie presence. Slow but very audible breathing broke any disturbing silence, the sound haunted the criminals as it echoed from sort of respirator shaped to resemble a smile. Medium length objects poked out from his cowl, looking very much like horns in such a dark atmosphere. Despite the intimidating presence, none of the crooks turned to run the other way.

"Back off man, don't try to be some sorta hero!", the one with a gun threatened the mysterious man with his firearm. The ringleader's lackeys gulped back any fear and began chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, this guy must be new. He doesn't look familiar like those other ones.", the brick bandit chimed in. A wave of relief washed over the triune as they realized they weren't dealing with a pro hero.

" **Return the money. This is your only chance.** ", the voice was masked with some sort of voice modification filter. A deep and distorted effect in the green shadow's tone sent several chills up the spines of each thief. The order from such a being caused the underlings to glance at their superior for confirmation on whether they should comply or not.

"Well, look at that, he speaks!", the ringleader kept a calm facade as he mocked the green figure. "What was it you told us?", the trio's boss asked a rhetorical question. " _This is your only chance!_ ", he put on a gruff impression of the being cloaked in darkness. "Yeah.. this is YOUR only chance! Get lost, or I'm filling you with led.", the gun toting criminal threatened his opponent again while cocking it for emphasis.

A moment passed as they had a standoff; which ended with the green figure reaching into a pitch black utility belt just as quickly as the criminal letting his finger slip on the trigger. The gang of bandits covered their faces when four small pellet were thrown at them, unsuspecting of an explosion concealing equally as dark gas. The trio busted into fits of coughing as their leader shot blindly into the black fog. The target shrouded in smoke evaded bullets with relative ease thanks to his sneak attack.

While still having the upper hand, the reseda person grabbed the lid off of a garbage can to toss like a frisbee. Thanks to the improvised projectile, the trash cover knocked the weapon out of the gunwielder's hand. With an opening granting itself, the green figure rushed forward and prepared to drive a fist into one of his enemy's faces. Unfortunately, the outnumbered man chose the wrong opponent to punch and his fist collided with a solid stone surface. A loud crunch could be heard as the knuckles connected, causing the fighter to reel back in pain as he clutched the injured hand.

It was now the turn of the man made of brick to take a swing, the criminal whaled into his enemy and sent the green individual crashing into another wall of the alley. As black mist evaporated, the trio was able to see an injured opponent clinging to their bruised side. When the green suited person wasn't nursing that wound, they clenched and unclenched their fist. Torn fabric in his gloves revealed the red liquid of blood leaking from scraped knuckles.

"Not so tough _now_ , are ya?", the ringleader taunted his downed opponent with a light scoff. "Waste this fool..", he ordered the porcupine burglar with a nod.

The quills flew out with a simple fling of his arm, sending sharp projectiles straight for the target with an intent to kill. Before the needles could make impact, the green figure rolled to the side in an effort to dodge the incoming attack. Each quill speared the wall in the missing man's place, except for a lone spike that dug itself deep into the green figure's already injured side. A pained grunt escaped the reseda person's lips as they found a hand clinging onto the protruding porcupine quill. No time remained for pleasantries as the green suited being retaliated with a sweeping kick to wipe out his opponents like bowling pins.

The crook who used a gun in the robbery resorted to his quirk upon being bested in combat, a concussive blast erupted from the man's palms and knocked the green being into the wall again. A second time, the porcupine person shot his quills at the do-gooder. The reseda man dodged the attack with a phenomenal display of acrobatics and performed a somersault that brought down his foot into the needle shooting thief. With one of his partners rendered unconscious, the brick bandit let out a frustrated battle cry before charging the one responsible.

The green suited man dodged a flurry of punches until one got a lucky hit and knocked him upwards with an uppercut. In an attempt to brace his fall, the reseda figure grabbed onto the fire escape on his way down and felt the weight of gravity take effect. A loud snap indicted immense strain on the man's arm, making him gasp in agony. Still using the velocity of his drop, the green figure swung in a strange arch and kicked the brick bandit with a heavy black boot. The attack didn't have much effect, but both fighters put distance between themselves after such an intense altercation.

The green shadow took this moment to yank out the quill that had been stuck in his side the entire battle. Blood spewed from the wound like a spray bottle before he applied pressure to the spot, that injury was bound to leave a lasting scar. Despite his several aching wounds, the green figure moved forward with the will to finish what he had started. One was out cold while the other two thieves gave one another a glance, cocky smirks etched across their faces as they looked at their opponent like prey.

The boss released another concussion burst that rattled the green figure's bones like a set of keys. After such a powerful attack, the reseda man wasn't prepared for another whack from the brick bandit. Each crook stood on either side of the downed do-gooder, kicking at him with confident cackling. The ringleader prepared to fire off another concussive blast to finish off the defeated person, not expecting for such a beaten man to retaliate yet again. Neither thief was ready for the green figure to grab hold of the leader's arm and thrust it into the brick burglar so the concussion burst could be used against him.

The reseda shadow followed up with several jabs to the ringleader's face and finished his barrage of attacks with a spinning kick that landed on the man's jaw. The brick bandit stirred before the green figure drove his foot into the criminal's face. The only one who wasn't unconscious yet was the boss of the trio, who attempted to desperately crawl away. The marauder clasped his fingers around the gun he had dropped early on into the fight, but never got to use it again as a boot stepped on his hand to prevent any kind of usage. A dragged out crunch echoed through the alley as the green figure crushed his enemy's hand, following by the scream of anguish that escaped the ringleader's mouth.

From inside the convenience store, the owner hung up his phone after informing authorities of a committed crime and turned his attention to the muffled shout. Curiosity overcame the cashier as he investigated the commotion, cries for help lead him to the dimly lit alleyway. The streetlight continued to flicker with each punch that the green figure landed on the beaten ringleader of criminals. The cashier couldn't help but let out an audible gasp upon seeing the thieves that had just robbed his store strewed across the alley in an unconscious manner. The one responsible heard the sudden noise and slowly turned his head to look at the newcomer despite being mid punch. The light flickered one last time, and in that moment of darkness allowed the green shadow to disappear.

…

Izuku Midoriya let himself sink into the bathtub filled with ice cubes, instantly turning the crystal clear water into a murky red tint mixed with dirt and sweat. Blood leaked from the man's wounds as they soaked in the filthy liquid, the burning sensation given off from the injuries only pleased by the cold temperature he created. A tattered green suit was balled up next to the tub, many tears and holes in it needing to be sewn back together. The color of his outfit matched the messy length of groggy hair that soon dived under water as well. Izuku felt like he could stay beneath the surface forever, allowing the cool and refreshing feel to wash against his skin.

The noise of Midoriya's cellphone vibrating against the shut lid of his toilet is what caused him to resurface. A wet hand reached for the device before he took a look at what the source of his notification could be. A text message was marked unread, the sender was named 'Hikiyose Midoriya'. Izuku faintly smiled upon reading the name of his daughter and opened the inbox to see what she had sent.

 _Got scared at Yago's house. Is it okay if I cancel the sleepover and come home tonight?_

"Shit..", Izuku groaned as he forced himself to climb out of the bathtub. The father sighed as he texted back his daughter, _I'll come and pick you up in a few minutes._

Midoriya recalled the events that had led up to his eventful night as he began to dry off with a towel. Dry blood stuck to the cloth as it dragged against his bruised skin, causing Izuku to flinch in pain. His wife had been given a mission the same night that his daughter decided to sleepover at a friend's house. The green haired man partially regretted his decision on how to spend the night as he dabbed a cotton ball covered in rubbing alcohol against his stab wound. Hosu City was littered with crime, the percentage of robberies spiking ever so drastically. With no heroes to protect the area, Izuku decided to take up the task as the place's defender.

The only problem with that.. Izuku Midoriya is a quirkless human in a world full of powered beings. It goes without mentioning that Japan doesn't allow heroes without a license. If you use your quirk without proper documentation, you'll be written up as an outlaw and quite possibly considered a villain. However, there is a few rare cases in which people use their quirks to perform heroic acts without a license. These certain beings are called vigilantes and get treated in the same regard as villains. In the new generation of heroes, vigilantes seemed to become extinct. Midoriya dared to take that opportunity and save a few lives if he could.

The buzzing of his phone sent the train of thought within Izuku's mind flying off its rails. _Thanks daddy, please hurry!_ Midoriya kept a faint smile when the second text. His eyes diverted from the screen to his pile of vigilante clothes. A reseda green and pitch black design covered the outfit head to toe, only altered by a silver mouthpiece. An equally dark green scarf draped from the top until it reached his waist length where a large black utility belt was strapped. The dark color matched gloves and boots padded with hard material to put more power into his attacks. Izuku began to worry about where to hide his costume and quickly stashed it behind the medicine cabinet. With one less problem, he finished tending to the injuries by applying bandages.

Izuku didn't worry about what clothes to wear as he slapped on a plain white t shirt and bright blue pajama bottoms. The green haired man went barefoot as he fetched his car keys and let out an exhausted yawn. Midoriya caught himself in the reflection of his mirror and cringed at the ghastly sight. Bloodshot eyes sunk into heavy bags, reminding him of the old U.A teacher named Shota Aizawa. Izuku caught himself grinning as he reminisced about his sensei called Eraserhead and the good ol' days of U.A. Well, mostly good.

The ringing of his cellphone made him snap out of the daze, checking the caller ID to see it was his wife. "Hey Ochaco!", he lazily but excitedly answered. U.A was where he met her after all..

"Hi honey, I was just calling to make sure you hadn't burned down the house or anything.", Ochaco teased on the other end of the line with a small giggle. Izuku laughed along with his wife while rolling his eyes.

"Not yet!", Izuku played along. "But I have to go pick up Hikiyose a little early. She got scared during the sleepover.", the husband quickly added.

"Oh no, poor baby. Do you need me to come home? I can help-", Ochaco became flustered as she worried about her daughter.

"N- No, I've got it handled! You have important hero work to do. Don't stress about us.", Izuku reassured his wife with a nervous chuckle.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to strain yourself either.", Ochaco replied.

Izuku clutched his wounds with gritted teeth as she mentioned straining something. "Thanks honey, but I'm f- fine.. really.", the green haired man rasped out.

"Okay. Let me know if anything changes. I'll see you tomorrow night otherwise. Love you.", the caring wife and hero cooed.

"Love you too.", the injured husband replied before hanging up with an exasperated sigh.

…

Izuku Midoriya knocked on the door and waited impatiently for an answer. His spirits were lifted when it was his daughter who opened it. "Hey!", he greeted as she ran into his arms.

"Daddy!", she happily embraced her father but unknowing squeezed his stab wound. Izuku winced in pain as he held back a grunt, carefully pushing his daughter away to recuperate. Apparently hugs hurt just as much as the bad guys and their quirks.

After thanking and apologizing to the other parents, Izuku escorted his daughter to their car. The drive back home was quiet and awkward for both of them, neither opted to attempt finding a song on the radio since there was never any good ones. Izuku glanced from the corner of his eyes to see his daughter pouting in the passenger seat and decided to ask, "Are you okay? Daddy's not mad at you if that's what you're worried about.."

Hikiyose twiddled with her fingers as she muttered to herself, "How can I ever be a hero if I'm too scared to spend the night at a friend's house?"

Luckily, Izuku was a master at deciphering the murmurs and caught on rather quick. "You have nothing to worry about Hikiyose, you're just as smart and amazing as your mother when it comes to hero stuff.", the father reassured his daughter. "Just as pretty too.", Izuku added with a goofy smile. It was true though, Hikiyose shared her mother's round angel face and short luxurious locks. The only difference was her hair being green like Izuku's instead of brown like Ochaco's, along with inherited freckles that could go unnoticed to the untrained eye.

"But I'm not brave like you..", Hikiyose continued to pout.

"What do you mean?", the statement from his daughter caught Izuku off guard and caused him to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Midoriya thanked the late hour for keeping a minimal number of cars on the road, for the embarrassment of being praised nearly made him swerve into the other lane.

"Mom told me about how you two met at the Entrance Exam. She described how you were the only one to run in and save her while the others ran away. How did you do that, even though you're quirkless?", Izuku's daughter explained what she meant before asking a touchy question.

Izuku gulped as he clutched the steering wheel in a sweaty grip. "To tell you the t- truth, I don't really know! My legs just sorta moved on their own, ya know!", Midoriya answered truthfully.

"Oh..", Hikiyose didn't seem motivated by her father's response.

"B- But, I'm sure you'll do the same thing! It's just all about being a good person, that's all!", Izuku quickly added with a hopeful but painfully awkward laugh.

"Dad.. Am I going to stay quirkless forever too?", Hikiyose kept the same disappointment in her tone. The question hurt more than the beating that Izuku received only a few hours ago, nearly making the grown man cry.

"I.. I don't know sweetie. Probably.", the father just couldn't bring himself to lie to his daughter and answered truthfully. Izuku had to stop the car as soon as she started crying, immediately consoling her with a hug. "Hey.. hey, don't cry. You know _I'll_ start if _you_ do..", the green haired man begged.

"Sorry..", Hikiyose choked out in between sobs. That did it, now both Midoriyas were crying.

"Listen to me Hikiyose.. don't let being quirkless stop you. Look at _me_ , _I_ made it into U.A even though the odds were against me.", Izuku offered words of encouragement to cheer her up.

"But you didn't pass the exam to get your provisional hero license and never became a pro hero like you wanted to with mom!", Hikiyose sobbed. The reminder stung Izuku's heart, but he persevered.

"Then do what I couldn't. Succeed where I didn't. It isn't impossible!", Izuku shook his daughter to emphasis his point. When he saw that she was still distraught over the revelation of having no quirk, he thought about sharing something he never told anyone.. not even his wife. "There's a quirk that can be passed on to others..", Izuku announced.

"W- What?", Hikiyose asked in disbelief.

"I'm sure you've heard about him in school before, and it's something you'll learn about more in U.A if- er, WHEN you get in. There used to be a symbol of peace called All Might that everybody looked up to. He was the _best of the best_ , the _greatest_ pro hero ever! Before I went to U.A, I got to meet him if you can believe it. He told me I would have been the right successor to take on his power that had been passed down through generations. A quirk that was _One For All_.", Izuku explained.

"Wooww, what did you do?!", Hikiyose marveled at the news her father was sharing.

"I turned him down.", Izuku's expression then turned grim as any excitement within the car died.

"But.. why?", Hikiyose wondered.

"I.. w- wanted to prove that I could still become a hero despite being quirkless! I wanted to show everyone that it wasn't impossible, that anybody could become a hero! I also felt I wasn't the right choice to be given such a power.. something so strong shouldn't be in the hands of, well, anyone besides All Might!", Izuku solemnly answered.

"Do you regret not taking it?", Hikiyose asked.

Izuku lowered his head as he contemplated the question. He wanted to reply to her by saying 'every day', but knew that wasn't what she needed or wanted to hear. When Izuku was a child no older than her, he'd asked his mom if he could become a hero without a quirk. Inko Midoriya merely told her son she was sorry and shattered his hopes and dreams. Izuku needed to hear something different back then, he wanted to be told that it wasn't impossible. Now, the moment began to repeat itself in the next generation. "Never.", Izuku lied.

Hikiyose smiled as she wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Thanks dad.", she sounded much more optimistic.

"I love you, Hikiyose.", was all that Izuku could manage to say in response as he became choked up.

Before the two could hug one another again, Hikiyose stopped midway and pointed out a red splotch on her father's white t shirt. "Uh, dad.. what happened there?", she worriedly asked.

"AAAHHhh, uh, just some ketchup I spilled! Yep, stained my shirt!", Izuku cursed himself for picking out white as the color he wore. Apparently one too many hugs caused the scar to tear open again and caused blood to ooze through his bandages.

"Dad, you're always such a messy eater!", Hikiyose teased her father while being none the wiser.

…

The next day started in a blur for Izuku as his body acted like it were sleep walking. The green haired man performed his morning duties before his daughter could wake up, which revolved around the common things such as laundry or cleaning. In the end, what really woke him up was the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon frying on a pan as coffee brewed. The aroma must have also attracted Hikiyose, because she ran into the kitchen while still wearing her pajamas as well.

"Good morning dad!", the green haired girl greeted her father.

"M- Morning, Hikiyose. Why don't you go get ready while I make breakfast?", Izuku suggested.

"Good idea! After all, today is the big day!", Hikiyose reminded her father of the Entrance Exam. Suddenly, everything seemed much more critical as the green haired man accidentally spilled coffee everywhere when pouring himself a mug. Regardless, Izuku Midoriya was now fully awake and kicked into action as he set his daughter's food on the table.

"Shoot, you're right! I have to get ready too!", Izuku panicked as he stumbled over his feet and raced to get an outfit from his wardrobe. Hikiyose simply giggled over her father's silly demeanor and began eating breakfast as the man sorted through different clothes.

"Hey dad, if you never received a hero license and never became a pro hero, how come you get to teach for the school?", Hikiyose asked through a mouthful of eggs.

Izuku struggled to tie on a malachite green necktie as he responded, "Another example of why being quirkless doesn't put out as many barriers as you'd think. The previous principal was so impressed with my observational skills when it came to quirks and the ingenuity I portrayed during the Sports Festival, that he offered me a job as a teacher whenever I became old enough.", Midoriya cheerfully explained.

"That's pretty cool, I guess.", Hikiyose mumbled in between bites.

"Sweetie, don't speak with your mouth full. You know your mother hates that.", Izuku gave a meek scolding.

"Sorry dad..", Hikiyose continued talking with a mouth full of food despite her apology.

"So.. what do you think?", Izuku presented his outfit. The father flashed a toothy grin that complimented his elegant suit. A black waistcoat matched his trousers and formal dress shoes. However, a dark green dress shirt synced the color of his hair and eyes. The tie that Izuku had so much trouble with was finally done properly.

"Wow, you look pretty spiffy.. Just, what about the hair?", Hikiyose giggled.

"What's wrong with my hair? Just because it's a little messy and curly, doesn't mean it isn't stylish!", Izuku enjoyed making his daughter laugh. After enough horsing around, he put on his best 'serious dad' tone and told her to hurry up & get ready. Secretly, he was just as nervous as she was about the Entrance Exam since he'd be part of the spectator and judging group.

"I've got to make a quick stop at Fugu's on the way there.", Izuku announced to his daughter as they strapped into their seat belts.

"Aaahhh, come onnn, not Fugu's!", his daughter complained. The duo would often stop by the convenience store on their way to or from her school to pick up occasional groceries, and Hikiyose slowly began to hate going there.

"C- Come on Hikiyose, it isn't t- that bad!", Izuku stammered out a response as he began to notice her sulking attitude. The truth was, he didn't really need any groceries, he just wanted to check on his friend after the armed robbery.

"I GUESS!", Hikiyose continued to pout with folded arms.

"H- Here, you can wait in the car and listen to something on the r- radio.", Izuku nervously suggested as he flipped through numerous stations. He eventually wound up finding the one he'd listen to Present Mic's talk show on, now replaced by his former classmate's constant jams. Kyoka Jiro took up that particular music position as a pro hero and Hikiyose tended to enjoy her songs from time to time. "Do good on the Entrance Exam, and I'll see if Kyoka has time freed up to meet with us over tea or s- something.", Izuku made a promise he prayed he'd be able to follow up on. The green haired man felt sweat beating off his forehead as he contemplated asking his wife to ask her for him.

"Really?! That'd be awesome, thanks daddy!", Hikiyose suddenly turned her frown upside down.

"What did I get myself into?", Izuku asked himself as he pulled into the parking lot of Fugu's store. "I'll be right back. Just keep, uh, jamming out.", he gave a shaky thumbs up with a nervous laugh per usual.

"Ah, Mr. Midoriya! It's great to see you again!", the chubby cashier greeted his customer with a hug.

"H- Hey Fugu, I- I t- told you to c- call me I- Izuku!", the green haired man stammered out as he returned the embrace with a pat on the fat man's back.

"With a suit and tie like that? You're Mr. Midoriya!", Fugu teased with a joking finger point.

"Th- Thanks Fugu, you flatter me. So, business is treating you well?", Izuku chuckled nervously.

"You must have missed the morning news! This place is gonna be packed with customers soon after they see this, I tell ya!", the store owner raised the volume on a mounted television via remote control.

"-a masked vigilante was caught on the street camera of a back alley-", a reporter provided commentary over grainy black & white footage of Izuku in his suit battling the quirk powered burglars. Midoriya's heart thumped heavily with each word as he watched the events of last night play out on live television.

"And that's not the only station!", Fugu revealed that every media outlet was covering the sudden arrival of a new vigilante as he flipped through numerous channels. Izuku gulped back a lump in his throat as he realized the crisis at hand. If anyone recognized him somehow, he would be immediately put in prison like any other criminal. "It was crazy, lemme tell ya! Three guys robbed my store and nearly made it outta here with my money! Then, THIS guy comes out of nowhere and lays a number on em!", Fugu excitedly shared information that Izuku already knew about.

"It.. It seems they want him arrested for vigilantism, ya know, the violation of-", Izuku began saying the same words as some reporter until Fugu cut him off.

"I don't care what anybody says! In my eyes, that guy's just as much a hero as any of the schmucks running around these days!", Fugu declared. Izuku couldn't help but smile upon hearing such a compliment, he even started to become teary eyed. The fact that someone was appreciative of his help meant the world to Izuku.

"Oi, you got something in your eye?", Fugu took notice of the water building up.

"YES! JUST SOME HAIR PARTICLES!", Izuku shouted a little too loud as he wiped the tears away.

When Midoriya finally returned to his car, he was shocked to hear Kyoka Jiro talking about the vigilante as well. "I think it's good that someone out there wants to make a difference despite not having a license. Maybe they just couldn't manage to get what they needed and this is how they're sharing their voice.", the woman used music as a metaphor in her standpoint.

"Dad, did you hear about the vigilante guy!?", Hikiyose shared the same enthusiasm Fugu had about Izuku's alter ego and it worried the father.

"Uh, yeah. Let's not listen to that too much.", Izuku quickly shot her down as he switched the station to some kind of old rock song.

"What? Why not? What's wrong with vigilantes?", Hikiyose wondered.

"Nothing!", Izuku shouted back a little too fast. "I mean.. uh, ask your mother.", he then stammered. The panicked father became relieved as he heard one of Hikiyose's favorite songs come on. "Listen, it's Everlong by Foo Fighters! You love this song!", Izuku shouted over the roaring music as he turned up the volume. Hikiyose seemed to forgot about vigilantes right away as she started singing along.

"If anything could ever be this real forever, if anything could ever be this good again! The only thing I'll ever ask of you, is to promise not to stop when I say when..", his daughter sang the lyrics word for word. The moment seemed to reflect on it as a warm beam radiated from the sun and glimmered into the car where Izuku held his daughter's hand while the other stayed on his steering wheel.

"And she sang..", Izuku sang the next lyric for his daughter before the melody took over. The rest of their drive seemed to go smoothly like the rhythmic beat.

"Alright honey.. remember, I'll be watching. O- OR, IF THAT MAKES YOU NERVOUS, TH- THEN DON'T REMEMBER THAT!", Izuku cursed himself for being so bad at giving pep talks.

"It's okay dad! I'll be fine!", Hikiyose giggled as she hugged her father.

"I know you can do it.", Izuku encouraged his daughter before the two broke apart. He watched as she walked towards the crowd of other children seeking to become heroes. The quirkless girl amongst powerful examinees, every one of them thriving to become the next generation of pro heroes.

…

 _ **END CHAPTER ONE**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **So, this is my first story doing these 'author note' type of endings. I noticed them in a few other fanfictions and I thought it would be a good way of reaching out every chapter rather than replying individually through private messages.**_

 _ **That being said, of course, I want to hear your thoughts! Please, leave some reviews for me! They motivate me more than anything else!**_

 _ **I feel like I'll get a lot of questions about where other Class 1-A students are and villains, ect. All I can say is that I've been planning this story ever since I started 'Have Fear, For I Am Here'. So, a lot of world building went into this project with a ton of notes and plans. I can't wait to spring what I have in store for you all, you aren't ready.**_

 _ **As for those of you who are wondering where the next chapter of 'Have Fear, For I Am Here' may be, don't worry, that'll be what I get written up for you next. I just wanted a change of pace from writing villain Deku and do something entirely different. I mean, this is loving father and vigilante Deku, two parallels for ya!**_

 _ **Okay, enough rambling! Until next time, when you meet other hero children and see if Hikiyose passes the Entrance Exam or not!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	2. Enter: Hikiyose Midoriya

The vigilante was all anyone would talk about as they waited for the presentation to begin. Murmurs and whispers shot across the auditorium as people shared their standpoint on whether an unregistered hero should be considered an outlaw or crusader. Many opinions didn't hold by much other than the children thinking he was just plain cool. Hikiyose Midoriya remained a shy & timid girl despite wanting to join in on the conversation with logical arguments. The green haired lass had a difficult time finding herself a seat due to the social anxiety she somehow inherited from her father. It wasn't safe to say she was an introvert, it just took a while for her to open to people. Once you got her talking, Hikiyose would be just as social and bubbly as her mother. Luckily for her, another girl her age with long orange hair offered the young Midoriya a seat. "Hey! You can sit next to me if you want!", the friendly gesture reminded Hikiyose a lot of her mother.

"Th- Thanks! I was getting worried that I wouldn't find a spot.", Hikiyose did her best not to stutter like her father. "Seriously, how is it even possible to inherit a _trait_?", the green haired girl then realized she was muttering the question aloud; another characteristic picked up from spending too much time with her dad.

"Well, worry no more! I'm Yuoro by the way!", the redhead introduced herself with a small bow while remaining seated.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hikiyose Midoriya.", the other teen politely returned the gesture before sitting down.

Yuoro's eyes suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree during the Fourth of July. "You mean, like Ochaco Midoriya?! Uravity, the **number four** hero?!", the redhead went into full on geek mode. That tended to be the usual reaction whenever Hikiyose shared her last name with anybody.

"Y- Yep. The one and only.", the green haired lass chuckled nervously. The teenage girl felt shivers run up her spine upon noticing how much she acted like her father. "I really need to stop that.."

"That's **so** _COOL_! What's it like having a pro hero as your mom?! And one that ranks so highly?!", Yuoro began bombarding Hikiyose with all too familiar questions.

The green haired girl merely shrugged in response, "I mean.. she's cool and it's awesome that she can be such a great icon. The only thing that sucks about it, is that I rarely see her since the job requires a lot of stakeouts and patrols whenever she isn't on a mission."

"Oh.. so you don't get to see your mom too often, eh? That sucks. What about your dad?", Yuoro continued to pry. Even though the two had just met and remained acquaintances in such a way, the two carried a conversation like they had known each other for years.

As if on cue to answer Yuoro's question, Izuku Midoriya took the stage so he could address the crowd of children. "C- Could I please have everyone's attention?", the well dressed man spoke into a microphone before tapping it to quiet those who didn't listen. The slight feedback from each thump silenced any other mild whispers."Thank you."

" _That's_ my dad.", Hikiyose quickly replied to her newfound friend before the presentation could begin. Yuoro gawped over the green haired girl having TWO amazing parents. One who was a pro hero and another that worked for the prestige school known as U.A.

"I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical. The assessment will go as followed for all examinees.. You'll be experiencing a ten minute trial that allows you to bring along whatever you want. After I explain the rules, you'll each head to your testing locations.", Izuku cleared his throat. After a moment of awkward silence, Midoriya sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. U.A had informed him of the Entrance Exam's changes to further ensure participants could qualify. Whenever Izuku had taken the test, the school used robots in their practical, allowing partakers to use their quirks to their fullest extent and destroy their targets. However, difficulty had been raised when reality became implemented. Heroes wouldn't be killing villains, so the students would have to learn how to pull their punches or hold back. Izuku prepared to share the change with the waiting audience.

"The aim of this exercise is to eliminate as many villains as you can. Usage of your quirks are prohibited as long as you only use them to incapacitate the targets. What you're all facing is a real criminal offered time shaved from his sentence for participating.", Izuku's announcement gained a wave of gasps and murmurs from the crowd. The green haired speaker felt the same concern when he had the news sprung on him too. During Izuku's time at U.A when he had been a student, a league of villains had a member who could duplicate himself with several clones. Pro heroes had captured the criminal called Twice and forced him to comply with their training for future generations.

Izuku continued explaining despite the audience's reaction, "Each villain eliminated or captured will result in five points. As for how you can receive more, you can reduce property damage and earn one or two depending on how you do so. If you invoke destruction by accident or on your own terms, it will result in a ten point reduction.", the crowd groaned upon hearing the rules.

Hikiyose kept a sly smirk on her face when her father didn't share the secret point system. Ochaco had explained hidden rules about rescuing people and how Izuku had managed to earn more points that way when he had saved her.

"Of course, playing the antihero and attacking other examinees is prohibited.", the green haired announcer added in his speech. "Doing so will result in an immediate disqualification."

"The regulations for this are pretty thorough..", Yuoro quietly noted. Anyone within proximity of hearing her whisper nodded in agreement.

"That'll be all from me for now. I look forward to seeing what you all can do out in the field. Until then, I leave you with our school motto.. PLUS ULTRA!", Izuku awkwardly proclaimed.

Hikiyose rolled her eyes before slapping the palm of her hand against her face, "Daadd..", she groaned.

…

Teenagers of all ages mingled with one another outside of massive metallic doors that looked tall enough to accommodate Mt. Lady if she were still around and in her gigantification form. Hikiyose shyly poked her index fingers together as she sized up the competition and realized everybody was roughly two or three years older than her. The young girl felt her confidence plummet as she combined that with the worry of everyone's quirks while she had nothing. The only sense of comfort was the arrival of the other girl she had met during the preparation presentation.

"Hey Hikiyose!", Yuoro waved to her new friend.

"Yuoro! I'm so glad to see you! A- Aren't you nervous?", the green haired lass wondered.

"Not with YOU around!", Yuoro playfully poked Hikiyose.

"ME?", the young Midoriya pointed to herself in confusion. "Yuoro.. I think you've got it all wrong. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't have a quirk.", the green haired girl timidly revealed.

"Really? You're quirkless? No matter, in that case, you'll probably enjoy my quirk even more!", Yuoro kept a cheerful tone.

" _Your_ quirk?", Hikiyose thought back to what her father had shared in the car last night. "C- Can you pass it on to others or something?", the green haired lass began to tremble with excitement.

"Well, sorta.. I call my quirk _Ameliorate_. It basically gives other people extra strength, stamina, speed, that sorta thing. The only downside is that it only lasts for five minutes and that's half the length of the exam.", Yuoro explained.

"I don't care, that's still AWESOME! Thanks so much for teaming up with me!", Hikiyose exclaimed.

Before the two could rejoice over one another's friendship any further, the large metal walls began to slowly crank open. The sound of a blow horn indicated it was time for their test to start. "Begin!", a female voice confirmed this by shouting through a loud speaker.

Right off the bat, everybody stormed the entrance like it was a race. The landscape was littered with the villain's clones, each one either rushing head on to fight back or running the other way. It instantly broke into chaos as one kid soared overheard with angel wings sprouting from their back. Another portrayed an impressive quirk by releasing a sonic scream into the opponents. The ground became quicksand in one area and criminal clones began sinking into it. Hikiyose panicked as she watched examinees rack up points left and right while she achieved none.

"Yuoro, use your quirk on me!", Hikiyose called out to her partner. The redhead wasted no time transferring power through a single touch. Just like that, Hikiyose Midoriya could suddenly punch someone fifty feet back.

From the spectator booth reserved for teachers and pro heroes only, Izuku Midoriya gawped at his daughter's sudden display of power. It was only after taking notice of the girl alongside her that he realized it was some type of temporarily lended quirk. Izuku became fascinated with such a discovery and began scribbling notes inside a journal he kept with him to analyze potential students.

Another teenage female with hair as white as snow pulled into a ponytail began creating mannequins made of ice. Izuku's intrigue peaked when he saw the glacier statues came to life so they could act as an army for the girl. There seemed to be no limit as she created four at a time to make up for any that became shattered during combat.

While some people had flashy & beautiful quirks such as that, others resorted to.. _other_ tactics. One boy was actually eating ROCKS and forced himself to upchuck the objects as acidic projectiles. No doubt, his strategy worked, it was just really grossing everybody out.

Meanwhile, Hikiyose continued to round up points for both herself and Yuoro. "How much is that?", she panted heavily while asking the question in between breathes. Sweat drenched the girl from head to toe, clearly showing she wasn't used to this kind of scenario.

"I think fifteen for you and ten for me..", Yuoro meekly replied as she hung her head.

Hikiyose had to force herself to gulp back any doubts of passing. "Then we have to keep fighting!", she clenched a fist to emphasis her point but was shocked to feel the strength she once had evaporate upon flexing. "Five minutes is already over.."

"What do we do now?!", Yuoro began to panic.

"It's time that I pull out my secret weapon..", Hikiyose then unraveled a cloth that wrapped around her neck like a scarf. When a group of clones advanced on her, they weren't expecting a full on assault. The weapon worked like a sort of capture tape as it wrapped around the gang of criminals. None of them could break free since the material was made of a steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers. With the restraints immobilizing her enemies, Hikiyose and Yuoro performed a team up attack to finish them off.

"Where'd you learn something like THAT?!", Yuoro gawped.

From the spectator stands, Izuku smiled over witnessing his daughter's presentation of skill. When the green haired man was a young boy, the homeroom teacher had taken pity on him for being quirkless. Shota Aizawa not only used his quirk against villains, but a form of various Japanese Martial Arts. The technique had been taught and passed down to the Midoriyas.

"That puts us both at thirty points now.", Hikiyose avoided the question but kept a goofy grin on her face upon receiving the compliment. The highest number on record after having the robots switched out with clones was only sixty, meaning they were about halfway to passing. The only problem, was that the girls only had three minutes left to achieve the goal.

That was when the duo spotted a boy defending himself with a forcefield quirk as several clones tried breaking through the shield. "There! That's our chance!", Hikiyose pointed out the crisis and made a mad dash to rescue the fellow examinee. Yuoro followed closely behind as the green haired girl promptly wiped out the criminal clones. "That places me at fifty, I should be good enough to pass. Now let's focus on getting yours.", young Midoriya grinned.

"Watch out!", Yuoro warned her friend while tackling Hikiyose out of the way for a giant piece of rubble to soar overhead.

"Thanks! Hey, that means you get some rescue points!", Hikiyose happily exclaimed.

"Rescue points?", Yuoro and the forcefield boy cocked their heads in confused unison.

Hikiyose quickly clasped her hands over her mouth upon realizing she accidentally let that secret slip out. However, no further questions or explanations could be given as the buzzer sounded to indicate the exam's end. "The test has concluded. That will be all.", the same female voice from before announced over the intercom.

…

"Did I pass?! Did I pass?! Did I dad, did I?!", Hikiyose repeated herself like a broken record.

"Ca- C- Calm d- do- d- down, H- Hikiyose!", Izuku frantically waved his hands as she cornered him in the parking lot. "I don't know yet, and even if I did, I can't answer th- that!"

"Awww, come onnn..", his daughter began to pout as Izuku opened the door to his car for her.

"You'll find out in about a week. That's usually how long it takes to process these sorta things..", the father explained the situation as best as he could while also getting into the vehicle.

"A _**WEEK**_?!", the outburst portrayed a familiar fierce demeanor that scared Izuku Midoriya more than anything. Right now, his daughter was giving off the same intimidating attitude his wife occasionally let through when either being competitive or determined.

"C- Calm down, H- Hikiyose! It'll g- go by f- fa- fast!", Izuku reassured the girl. The father thanked God above for the sudden cellphone call interruption. "L- Look, it's mom! She probably wants to know how you did.", he showed his daughter the caller ID.

"Did she pass?! Did she pass?! Did she, did she?!", Ochaco chanted the same eager begging Hikiyose had moments ago. Izuku's relief was suddenly ripped away from him as he realized this would only fuel her desperate need to know if she got into U.A.

"Dad says I have to wait a week to find out.", Hikiyose huffed. This earned a nervous chuckle from the green haired father.

"You're a teacher there, shouldn't you know if she got in or not?!", Ochaco raved.

"Honey, I swear, I'd tell you if I did! We just have to wait for the letter like everyone else.", Izuku stammered out his response as quickly as possible.

"Fine! But if you CAN get the answer sooner, then you'd better!", Ochaco pleaded.

"Yeah, I can't wait! I have to know!", Hikiyose also begged.

"I'll do what I can.", Izuku sighed in defeat while his daughter performed several fist pumps.

…

After the Midoriyas made it home, Izuku went straight into the kitchen to start making dinner while Hikiyose flipped through several manga. "Make sure you set the table after you finish reading that one. Your mother will be home any minute and I wanna surprise her.", Izuku shouted over the refrigerator's humming.

"Fiinne!", Hikiyose groaned as she closed the magazine and went to help.

After they finished preparing a candlelit supper with the feast consisting of Tempura, Ochaco walked through the door as if on cue. "Mommy!", Hikiyose greeted her mother with a huge hug.

"Hey honey.", Izuku joined the embrace while pecking his wife on the cheek with a kiss.

"Oh my gosh, that smells so good! Thank you both so much!", Ochaco gushed as she turned a shade of crimson. "I'm starved, let's dig in!"

The three then sat down for a family meal that none have had in a while. As Hikiyose mentioned to Yuoro, Ochaco Midoriya was rarely home due to constant hero work. The household was normally occupied only by two with the occasional appearance of Izuku's wife twice a month. The moments like these were soaked in completely by the young girl as she laughed along with her mother and father. Watching the two blush and stare at each other made her smile more than anything, proud to see her parents together again. Everlong by Foo Fighters played on a low volume in the background, the lyrics matching the scene as they all danced together happily. Ochaco nuzzled her head into her husband's chest as it slowly became a slow dance. The two held one another, taking in the touch for the first time in a long time.

 _If anything could ever be this real forever, if anything could ever be this good again. The only thing I'll ever ask of you.. you've got to promise not to stop when I say when._

The three had solemn expressions as their movements died, fully appreciating the reunion as they all held one another. Warm air tickled Izuku's skin as Ochaco breathed on him, a feeling he had missed immensely. The group hug lasted for what felt like a century.. and even that wouldn't be long enough.

 _Breathe out, so I can breathe you in.. hold you in. And now, I know you've always been.. out of your head, out of my head I sang! ..And I wonder, when I sing along with you – if everything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again. The only thing I'll ever ask of you.. is that you've gotta promise not to stop when I say when.._

Everyone had tears welling in their eyes as they pulled away from each other. "Uh.. so, I also made dessert!", Izuku announced another surprise he had prepared to lighten the mood.

"Aww, you shouldn't have!", Ochaco and Hikiyose hopped like giddy children.

"Your favorite Ochaco, it's Mochi!", Izuku pulled out a tray of rice cakes for his girls to enjoy. The night then ended with his wife gobbling down the treats while Hikiyose barely managed to scrounge up one.

After Izuku tucked his daughter in and said goodnight, he found himself lifting up his shirt in the bathroom with a locked door. A severe ache in his side overpowered all the other throbbing sores as he applied a fresh pair of bandages. Ochaco interrupted the personal aid by knocking on the door, "You okay in there?"

"I- I'm fine!", an embarrassed Izuku pretended to flush the toilet and walked out once he was done. The beat red blush wasn't helped when he saw Ochaco sprawled out on the bed waiting for him.

"You threw me quite the welcome home party.", she chuckled as her husband laid down beside her.

"I'm glad everyone had a good time.", Izuku shared a smile with his wife as the two curled up next to each other.

"It was great seeing Hikiyose so happy..", Ochaco reminisced the moment that had only transpired minutes ago. "How did she do in the Entrance Exam? I mean, you got to watch her, right?"

"Yeah. You should have seen our little girl. She made a friend right away and worked with them to round up a bunch of points. I think she definitely passed.", Izuku grinned.

"That's good.", Ochaco yawned as the two continued to cuddle. "I'm so proud of her. You did a good job raising our baby."

"M- Me?", the green haired husband tripped over his response.

Ochaco sighed heavily, "Let's face it, you pretty much did all the parenting. I'm barely ever around and-"

"Hey. Don't say that. I see PLENTY of you in our daughter too, ya know. She's learned a lot from you as well.", Izuku shushed his wife with a finger on her lip as he reassured the woman. Ochaco formed a smile again upon hearing her husband's words.

"You always did know what to say, you sweet talker.", she began to flirt with her husband as her fingers walked across his chest. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other. What do you say we catch up?"

Izuku gulped as he shrank in the bed due to his wife's seductive talk. Her hand still coasted along his muscular frame, slowly sliding down his side and.. towards the stab wound. Izuku immediately caught hold of her wrist and stopped it from touching the still recovering injury. "H- Hikiyose is in the other room..", he used as an excuse.

"We can be quiet about it.", Ochaco whispered back as he climbed onto Izuku. The several bruises from his fight in the alley began to twinge under her weight despite it not being much. The grunts and groans as he tried to resist the pain made his wife back off. "Are you okay?", she worried.

"I'm fine.. I just forgot, um, I left something important at the school. I've gotta go get it..", Izuku hated lying to his wife but it was the best he could come up with.

"I can come with you..", Ochaco offered.

"N- No. That's fine. You're probably really tired from your mission and someone has to stay here with Hikiyose.", Izuku made more excuses as he rolled out of the bed.

"I guess you're right. I love you.", Ochaco replied with a dragged out yawn.

"I love you too..", Izuku couldn't meet his wife's gaze as he prepared to go out on patrol as a vigilante again.

…

Izuku Midoriya wanted nothing more than to stay with his wife, but he couldn't risk her discovering his scars. Some fresh air brushing against his face as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop helped clear his head. "I'll need to become better at making up reasons to conceal my secret. Maybe I can spend one night writing up a list of excuses. I hate to lie to Hikiyose or Ochaco.. but, they can't know about _this_. Not only would they worry too much about me, but.. I don't even wanna think about them finding out. That's why I have to create fake reasons to run out at night.", Midoriya found himself rambling about the future of his vigilantism acts. It was only when he heard the sound of a woman screaming that he snapped out of the autopilot train of thought. "Hero time.."

"That's great! We'll have to celebrate tomorrow morning! Now, run along to your room.", the lady's voice echoed from inside what appeared to be a warehouse as Izuku neared the source. Midoriya figured it had been a shriek of joy considering how she sounded now. After scoping out the area one last time to make sure there wasn't any life threatening situations, he continued his patrol.

However, whenever Izuku left, he hadn't taken a look inside the building to see two familiar criminals. Himiko Toga, a blonde haired woman who wore an oversized cardigan to keep her warm, had been the source of excited screaming. Alongside her was the one had overtaken over the league of villains when Tomura Shigaraki got captured, a man covered in third degree burns. The messy haired individual scratched at one of his stitches as he spoke, "It looks like he pulled through."

"I wish that wasn't all you saw him for..", Himiko pouted with her arms folded.

"..it's not..", the tone was hard to place.

"Well, I wish you'd tell him that.", Toga didn't let up in her argument.

"I'm too busy managing what Shigaraki screwed up. There'll be plenty of time for what you want later, AFTER my plan comes into provision."

"If you say so.. Dabi."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER TWO**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Dun, dun, dun! I hope that's a decent enough cliffhanger. My worries now are: am I gonna have to change this rating to M after this chapter? Also, gaahh, I know! You're probably mad there wasn't any vigilante stuff this chapter!**_

 _ **Onto reading reviews!**_

 _ **Guest: I hope I don't come off as a butthurt and arrogant guy when I defend myself, but.. I think Batman isn't a fair comparison. Maybe a married Netflix show Daredevil? The whole thing about Bats is that he has Alfred or Robin to help him out, whereas Izuku has nobody in his lone crusade. The soaking in a bathtub full of ice bit should've hopefully taught him and everyone else the consequences of messing up, because he has no butler to patch him back up if its a worse beating the next time. That being said, there's actually a slim amount of vigilante Deku stories that I found and each one has its unique quirk about it. (Heh, bad puns.) I wanted to build up that roster because I see a lot of potential with it. I do appreciate you calling me a good writer though, that helped ease the pain. As for your suggestion, I probably would take it up if I didn't have no idea what Hunter x Hunter is. (Don't kill me for not knowing about it/him/whatever.) The only animes and mangas I've watched or read are Death Note, My Hero Academia, Naruto, and Naruto Shippuden. I like how your review was a sandwich though, it had the top bun of hurt and then the middle nice compliment and finished with a bottom slap to the face. I'm just messing with ya, no hard feelings! I appreciate honest feedback! I do hope you stick around and give the story a chance though, as there will be some interesting stuff I choose to explore.**_

 _ **s082829: I find it so cool that you gave another one of my stories a chance! You could have been like, 'Nope! I only care about Have Fear!', but you gave this one a try! I hope you enjoy it as much as the other story! I'll also take what you said about the kids into consideration, I'm trying to come up with cool names & quirks for the OCs still!**_

 _ **Mystery kid02: I hope I can maintain your interest! I feel like I may be starting off too slow, but I wanna kinda ease into this one.**_

 _ **DeGraphics Literature: IF she finds out! Not saying she doesn't, but not saying she does!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: Well said! I also have to point out again, I find it cool that people are checking out my other stories because I remember you reviewing Have Fear as well!**_

 _ **bladetri: Good! I pray I can keep it that way!**_

 _ **Blizzardfang: There'll be a good amount of mystery for the first few chapters as I'm trying to keep the world building at a slow rate to help reveal things with better timing rather than just cram it all down your throat. HOPEFULLY that won't get too boring! I also remember you from Have Fear, everyone is probably tired of me pointing out how cool that is!**_

 _ **Okay, so that's all the reviews for Chapter One! Now, onto a little poll I'm gonna throw out there. I haven't really decided on Izuku's vigilante name. Should it just be Deku, or something else? Give me some suggestions and I'll pick my favorite! Or.. ya know, don't..**_

 _ **Next time, find out whether or not Hikiyose made it into U.A and who Dabi & Toga were talking about! Probably not that second one, but definitely the first!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	3. Quirk Apprehensions

The earsplitting ring of a bank alarm fell upon Izuku's ears next. It would be more than likely for a hero to become involved when it comes to larceny, but Midoriya still felt an obligation to intervene. Rather than rushing into a confrontation like the alleyway, the vigilante takes a stealthy approach by examining the environment thoroughly with each step of the way. The facility has a huge crater in the side of it, allowing for just about anybody to enter the main vault where money is stored. Izuku narrows his eyes as he counts off six masked burglars loading cash into giant sacks. There was no telling what any of the criminals had for their quirks, showing no visual altercations. Midoriya sighed as he prepared to go in blindly, focusing on the only one not wearing a ski mask. The only person not packing cash and wearing a more elegant purple mask to match his suit & tie, that must be the leader. However, before Izuku can land a flying kick into his first target, he's railed by a fist full of sand.

The vigilante rubbed the back of his throbbing head, trying to recuperate from what he could only assume was one of the burglar's quirks. "Ah, I was wondering if I'd ever run into you! Funnily enough, you don't live up to the reputation.", the purple suited criminal milled around as he spoke.

Izuku forced himself to get back onto his feet, he'd endured worse injuries. " **You seem confident for a low tier thief. Ignorantly setting off the silent alarm? You're either full of yourself or just plain stupid.** ", Midoriya tried to scare off his enemies by making them think of pro heroes as reinforcements. It may have worked on one or two of the gang members, the sand user creating an artificial hammer out of his arm. However, much to the vigilante's dismay, the purple suited man seemed more confident than before as he gestured for his partners to back off.

"I'll take care of this one.", the leader reassured his allies while allowing a concealed pocket knife to drop from his sleeve and into his hand. Izuku got into a defensive stance, running through several counter attacks when it came to overpowering an enemy who had a blade. The vigilante was shocked when the purple suited leader tossed the knife onto the ground between them. "Stab yourself.", the command was directed at Izuku and forced his body to tense up.

Midoriya felt zero control over his body's movements as it reached for the knife. _It's like some form of mind control! I can't stop following his order, but I'm fully comprehensible of what's happening!_ , Izuku remembered experiencing a similar quirk during his time as a U.A student. It was how he had been eliminated from the Sports Festival, Hitoshi Shinso, the wild magenta hair protruding from behind the criminal's mask sparked his memory. Izuku felt his hands shaking as he wielded the knife, slowly and steadily turning it to face his chest. The clad green vigilante knew he had to obey the criminal's command, he was going to have to stab himself. _He never said where.._ , Izuku plunged the blade into his calf. The sudden spike of pain was enough to then snap Midoriya out of his enemy's mind control.

Behind his mask, Shinso's eyes widened upon discovering another drawback of his quirk. As long as he isn't specific in terms of saying what he wanted the person to do, the awareness of their manipulation may cause them to reiterate his conditions. The vigilante took his short moment of vulnerability to send a powerful punch into Hitoshi's face, shattering the purple kabuki mask. The other burglars were stunned as the green figure followed up by sweeping his leg under their feet. None of the thieves could counter with their quirk as the vigilante brought down punches and kicks.

One of the bandits released an electrical surge that was narrowly dodged by Izuku, and ended up hitting the other criminals instead. The vigilante limped with his stabbed leg to reach cover behind a massive cubical stack of cash. Another lightning strike burned through the money and knocked Midoriya across the room. With his options becoming limited, Izuku resorted to the same weapon his daughter had used during the Entrance Exam. A lengthy coil of cloth wrapped around his arm like a pair of bandages before shooting out and taking hold of the electrocutioner's right ankle. All it took was one hard tug to pull the criminal's footing out from under him, allowing Izuku to rush forward and proceed with the capture weapon to restrain his opponent.

Midoriya's body shifted with heavy breathing, his exhaustion finally getting the better of him and forcing him to his knees. Police sirens wailed in the distance as his vision started to become foggy, the blood seeping out of his untreated stab wound making him begin to lose consciousness. _Not like this.. Not yet.._ , the vigilante clawed his way across the floor. With the help of his steel wire alloy, Izuku grappled from the bank and onto a rooftop's ledge. It took a strained amount of effort to pull himself up before he rolled onto his back and began to black out.

…

Izuku staggered into the classroom, ripping a skin tight cowl from his face. His fingers found the light switch, flicking it on so he could stumble to his desk without bumping into anything. It was still a late hour with no faculty or students arriving for quite some time. Considering he couldn't go home while bleeding out, he went to next closest place with proper medical materials. While the nurse's office would have been the better place to raid, he couldn't take supplies without them going noticed. His next best bet was to dig through his desk drawer and pull out a pack of band aids he kept just in case a student got hurt. "I'm so screwed..", Izuku groaned as he stopped applying pressure on the wound.

The deep scar was made more accessible once Midoriya tore the cloth around his calf to get a better look. Without any rubbing alcohol or anything else to clean the wound, he had to take a spare water bottle and pour that over the cut instead. Blood mixed with water and made a massive mess as he took a stapler to seal the scar. He normally didn't like using stitches, but stapling it shut didn't seem like a better alternative. With a deep inhale, he pressed down and popped a staple into his flesh. "Son of a-", the sharp spike of pain matched the kind he felt when sticking the blade into his leg.

Inhale and exhale, none of the meditating helped as he continued applying staples to the injury. The wound looked ghastly by the time he was finished, but it was the best he could do for the time being. All that remained was to clean up the mess and get back to his house before anybody could notice. That plan seemed simple enough as he grabbed a mop from the janitor's closet. So, how come he was only able to succeed in **one** of the two steps?

The clacking of heels on the school's tile caught his attention, making him instantly rush to remove the vigilante costume. In a panicked frenzy, Izuku tossed off the suit and stood in his underwear with multiple messy bandages or scars. "This isn't good. This isn't good. This is NOT good..", Midoriya muttered to himself while frantically shoving the costume into his desk drawer. The man was hysterical as he ducked down to hide from whoever was arriving so early. Luckily, the mystery person passed his classroom and allowed for Izuku to exit in the other direction. Since he couldn't go home in his underwear, Midoriya quickly grabbed a change of clothes from the teacher's locker. On his way back out though, he bumped into the person who had so narrowly missed him the first time.

"Principal Momo! Er, I mean, Yaoyorozu – OH WAIT, it's **Todoroki** now! Mrs. Todoroki, hi!", Izuku began nervously yammering as he backed away from the authority figure. The woman had a contorted face of confusion as she began crossing her arms over her chest.

"Midoriya-San? What are you doing here so early? Shouldn't you be at home with your wife and daughter?", the principal kept a mild mannered tone despite looking pissed the _hell_ off.

"Uh y- yeah, I just.. wanted to, uh..", Izuku struggled to find an answer as he pulled at the collar of his shirt nervously. "What are YOU doing here?!", he shot back before quickly clasping his hands over his mouth. "S- Sorry!", Izuku apologized for the outburst.

Momo shook her head, "No. That's fine. It's a fair question. As the principal here, it's my duty to ensure all is in order for the first day of the new classes. I actually just got done going over the Entrance Exam's results. You'll be pleased to hear that your daughter passed."

"M- My daughter.. p- passed?", a smile began to curl onto Izuku's lips.

"Could you do me the honor of answering _my_ question now?", Mrs. Todoroki requested.

"O- Oh, sorry! I.. wanted to get familiar with the classroom and prepare as well!", Izuku stammered out the first excuse that popped into his head. A toothy grin and thumbs up didn't help his situation, but he did it anyway.

"I see. It's good to see the other school faculty working as diligently as I am, especially when it's coming from the instructor that'll be teaching my daughter.", Momo nodded in encouragement.

"Your daughter got in too!? That's great, Momo – Uh, Mrs. Todoroki – Principal Todoroki?", Izuku became flustered as he struggled to find the best way to address his boss.

"Momo will work just fine. We may be co-workers, but we're also still friends.", the woman gave a warm smile.

Izuku respectively bowed with a similar smile, "Thank you Momo! It'll be a honor to teach your daughter! I'll make you, Shoto, and her very proud!"

The principal bowed in return, "We should probably get back to work now. There'll be time for catching up later. Maybe over a cup of tea some time?"

"Sure!", Midoriya awkwardly waved his boss goodbye before letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

…

Izuku trekked across the floor on the tip of his toes, using the full extent of his stealth when it came to such a dire situation. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the living room lights flickered on like a spotlight exposing him. Ochaco sat in a recliner like some sort of sinister villain as she glared at her husband. "H- Hi honey..", the green haired man chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his sweaty neck.

"Don't 'hi honey' me! What took you ALL night to get back?", Ochaco was furious. It scared Izuku more than any of the criminals he faced, making the secret vigilante wish he was fighting one of them instead.

"I- I had to go to the school, r- remember?!", Izuku frantically waved his hands in front of his chest and backed away as his wife stormed over to him.

"To get something you forgot, right? Well, was it worth it? Did you get what you needed?!", she shook her husband like a fortune ball.

"I- I bumped into M- Momo while I was there and we t- talked about s- school stuff!", Izuku technically wasn't replying when he gave his excuse for being so late. "She told me Hikiyose p- passed!", he also blurted out. This seemed to do the trick as Ochaco stopped shaking her husband.

"Our daughter.. passed?", the mother began to shake with glee. "OUR DAUGHTER PASSED!", she exclaimed while levitating into a fist pump. Izuku couldn't help but laugh at his wife's reaction before joining in on the celebration.

"Oh Izuku, I'm so glad. That'll make telling her I have another mission tomorrow so much easier..", Ochaco let out a huff of relief while falling into her husband's arms.

"S- So THAT'S why you were so upset with me.. we didn't get to spend enough time together before you had to leave again.", Izuku shared the somber mood as he began to realize his wife would be gone for another length of time. _On the lighter side, at least I'll be able to sneak out at night a little easier.._

"Yeah, but it shouldn't take long. It was just something about a vigilante.", the words out of his wife's mouth made Izuku's heart clench and crumble. She must have noticed the sudden stiffness before she then asked, "Are you alright?"

Izuku gulped back the feeling to weakly answer, "Y- Yeah. I was just w- wondering if you could take that assignment off, ya know? Like a vacation!"

"Well, maybe.. I'll see if I can do something like that. It WOULD be nice to spend _at least_ a weekend with you and Hikiyose at the beach or something..", Ochaco nodded in consideration.

"I definitely think you should try, forget about the vigilante, he's probably not even worth your time!", Izuku gave a weak & nervous chuckle. Ochaco was used to that sort of thing from her husband, so she thought nothing of the strange behavior while giving him a kiss.

"You're probably right. Come on now, let's make breakfast and wake Hikiyose to share the good news with her.", Ochaco smiled.

…

The new semester had finally begun, Hikiyose Midoriya was the first student to arrive in her class due to going in with her father, who so happened to teach the same class. Izuku had planned to greet every student at the door but reluctantly followed his daughter's suggestion to wait for everyone to be seated before introducing himself. The room seemed to fill rather quickly, with faces familiar from the Entrance Exam and some new. The redhead named Yuoro took a seat next to Hikiyose before anybody else could, thrilled that the two were in the same class together.

Izuku cleared his throat before standing up with a clipboard to read off of, "Okay. That looks like everyone. I guess we'll start by introducing ourselves and do a roll call of sorts..", he seemed uncertain about what he was doing but continued nonetheless.

"Hey! I remember you! You're that guy who explained the rules at the Entrance Exam! You're Hikiyose's dad! Hi Mr. Midoriya!", Yuoro's outburst made Hikiyose bury her face in her arms to hide an embarrassed blush. Izuku shared the same shade of red upon receiving the sudden recognition.

"H- Hi, you must be Yuoro Akauna. My daughter told me about you.", Izuku gave a polite bow.

"Daaddd!", Hikiyose groaned from her arm barrier.

Izuku couldn't contain a nervous chuckle as he moved on to the next name on his list, "Jayzon Shimasu?" Everyone turned to see a boy raise his hand upon having his name called. Hikiyose cringed as she recognized him from the Entrance Exam, _Oh no.. I have 'puke boy' in my class.._ , she recalled the boy eating rocks and spitting them back out as acidic blobs.

"Iris Todoroki, you're Momo and Shoto's daughter!", Izuku happily referred to the white haired girl who had created ice minions during the test. She looked like a younger version of her mother with the same kind of pointy ponytail pulled up.

"Whoaa!", some students whispered amongst eachother about this revelation. "She's the daughter of the number one hero! So lucky!", one kid groaned about how unfair it was while another complained, "AND her mom's the principal!" It's true. Shoto Todoroki had claimed the top position on the hero chart under the title **Hottokorudo** and Momo Yaoyorozu married him shortly after becoming the principal of U.A to replace Nezu.

"And Verde Tokoyami! You're Fumikage and Tsuyu's son?! How are they these days?", Izuku grew a grin bigger than All Might's had ever been as he recalled his old friends.

The boy shared his father's expressionless bird face, but sported green feathers rather than black. "Dad is holding number two on the chart while mother works coast patrol.", he shrugged as if it were a boring topic to discuss.

"Come onnn, we got the number one AND number two's kids in our class?! How are we supposed to stand out with _them_ here?!", a blonde student complained.

"Everyone here is making their own name for themselves, nobody should be treated differently just because of their heritage, uh, mister..?", Izuku tried to run down the list to discover his student's identity.

"Carame Nagaidesu, sir!", the blonde teen stood up while bowing multiple times in apologetic form.

"Your name is Carame?", a blonde girl with jacks danging from her ears like earrings snickered.

"SHUDDUP! What's **your** name then?!", Nagaidesu became flustered as he tried to defend himself.

" _She_ looks like Kyoka's daughter! Which makes her Obachaji Kaminari!", Izuku grinned.

"Hah! Your name's Obachaji! Which is.. actually.. kinda cool..", Carame hung his head in defeat.

Izuku cocked his head upon reading the next name, "Kasai. That's it, huh? Just one name, like Adele?"

"Is that a problem?", a boy with messy black hair grumbled from the back of the class.

"N- No! That's fine. Just uh, I actually th- think it's pretty cool.", Izuku stammered out a response before clearing his throat. "Okay.. moving on. Hamina Sero?", the teacher glanced up to see a bubbly pink skinned girl flagging him down.

"Oooh, OVER HERE, that's me!", she waved at everybody in the class with a beaming smile. She definitely took after her parents..

"Uh, and last but not least is Shuaka Pqerosu.", Izuku gestured to the remaining student who looked more casually laid back than the others. The boy had short red hair combed to the side and looked to be the tallest in his class.

"So are we just going to socialize like its a daycare, or are we actually going to do something?", Carame complained. The remark made Izuku sweatdrop and nearly lose the grip on his clipboard.

"I- I was g- getting to that! Today, we'll be starting with a quirk apprehension test to see how well you've got it under control and what we need to work on improving. B- Bare in mind that I'll be writing n- notes during it, so don't g- get too pressured if you see me writing something down.", Izuku announced.

The class seemed to become much more enthusiastic upon hearing the news, all except for Hikiyose Midoriya cheered and murmured with their friends. Izuku took notice of his daughter's downtrodden attitude and attempted to keep everybody's celebration short. "O- Okay, so everybody come with me single file to the g- gym..", the teacher nearly jumped through the roof when he saw his vigilante suit inside the desk drawer instead of a pair of keys. _AAAHHH, I COMPLETELY FORGOT!_ , Izuku began to internally panic.

The bickering among students became interrupted by Izuku slamming his desk drawer shut to hide the contents inside. "UUHH, NEVERMIND THE GYM!", the green haired man glanced outside his classroom's window. "It's a nice day out! Let's go do it outside! Follow me!", Izuku laughed nervously as he ushered everyone out the door.

…

"Okay, so we'll begin with a fifty meter dash! Usage of quirks is not only allowed, but recommended!", Izuku announced the first test once he had his class outside.

"Eat my dust!", Carame confidently cried out while extending his arms across the track like they were made of rubber. Izuku furiously made notes about the boy's elasticity. The move worked as a slingshot and launched him forward with ease.

Alongside him, Hamina seemed to use a similar tactic with tape dispensing from her elbows. "So she inherited her father's quirk..", Izuku wrote what he muttered aloud. However, he then noticed the tape left behind singed into the grass once it was dropped. " _Acidic_ tape?!", Izuku scribbled the extra note.

Yuoro touched Hikiyose's shoulder so the green haired girl could keep up with the others who had to run normally. Some of the tests may have seemed unfair when considering your quirk wasn't natural for what was required, but it also helped Izuku keep track of who was innovative and who wasn't.

"Up next is the grip strength test!", the teacher happily announced upon finishing his first few pages of notes. It had already become obvious each part of the quirk apprehensions pertained to certain common ones. It was natural for people to develop abilities revolving around enhanced speed or strength, so it wasn't only sensible for such tests to pertain to those certain kinds.

Students had to use their quirks or natural potential to crush wooden, stone, and metal blocks. Hikiyose was fortunate for Yuoro yet again as she splintered the bark, shattered the brick, and dented the scrap. Jayzon grossed everybody out by swallowing the objects whole and vomiting them back out as a green smoldering liquid while Hamina used the acidic property of her tape to melt the cubes. Verde portrayed his mother's side by wrapping his tongue around the blocks and crushing them. "I wonder if that's all he inherited or if he has other frog natured abilities..", Izuku tapped the pencil on his lip.

"Okay. The last test requires you to pitch a ball as far as you can.", Izuku realized some of his students hadn't used their quirks yet and began to reminiscence on how Eraserhead had gotten his class to give it their all. "Th- The person with the s- smallest d- distance in their p- pitch will be e- expelled..", the teacher gulped and sweatdropped as he lied to the class.

A lot of the students complained and groaned about the sudden revelation, but what hurt Izuku the most was his daughter's tears. "Dad! You know that'll be ME!", she sobbed. The girl was distraught due to being quirkless and Izuku so badly wanted to comfort her with a hug. However, Yuoro beat him to it with a reassuring promise to continue providing her with a boost from her quirk.

Izuku cleared his throat as everyone began to calm down, "So.. any volunteers on who wants to go first?"

"I'VE got this! Everybody get back!", Carame smugly marched forward while taking the ball from his teacher. With his quirk, the boy winded up and fired his arm into the sky like a harpoon. "Ha! Beat that!", his performance gained a round of applause from most of the class while Obachaji scoffed.

"OO, OO! ME NEXT! ME NEXT!", the pink haired girl bounced happily like her mother used to when she were younger. Izuku obliged by handing her the next baseball. Hamina placed the sphere against her elbow and fired off a stream of acid tape which sent the ball soaring like a rocket. "Ha! Beat THAT!", she teased the sulking elastic boy while the class cheered her on. Everyone's bickering made Izuku smirk upon recalling how alike they were to his friends during his time at U.A.

"I guess I'll go.", Shuaka shrugged.

"That's the spirit!", Izuku encouraged his student before the red haired boy took the next baseball.

Much to everyone's surprise, the tall teen then began to shrink to the size of an ant! When he returned to his original height, Shuaka used the momentum to toss the ball as high as he could. _So he has the ability to shrink! I wonder if that also means he can double in size like Mt. Lady did? Probably not.._ , Izuku scratched more detailed descriptions about his student's quirks.

The next teen to display their power was Iris Todoroki, she used her ice to create a catapult so it could throw the ball for her. _Wow! A fully operational catapult! She did something similar during the Entrance Exam.. Maybe she inherited ice from Shoto, but on a more advanced level? Wait! I'm forgetting about Momo! It must be a combination of her mother and father to make an ice creation quirk! That means she's a little bit like Hamina with her acid tape.._ , Izuku continued making notes.

Verde Tokoyami used his tongue to get a longer distance in the similar manner Hamina & Carame had with their quirks. Jayzon disgusted everybody by swallowing the ball so he could spit it back out at a considerable distance. Hikiyose managed to throw her's far enough thanks to the enhanced strength provided by Yuoro. The only students to do poorly on the test were her, Obachaji, and Kasai. Izuku understood why the two girls had failed, due to Yuoro emitting power to OTHERS rather than herself and he simply assumed Obachaji was restricted to her ear jacks. However, the black haired boy remained a complete mystery to him. "Kasai, how come you didn't use your quirk in any of the exercises?", Izuku wondered.

"D- Do you not have a quirk?", Hikiyose blushed as she asked her own question.

"I have a quirk, it just wouldn't have been helpful.", Kasai shrugged. "Does this mean I'm expelled?"

Izuku shook his head, "Sorry. That was a little fib I had to tell you so everyone would give it their all."

"WHAAAAT?!", everyone exclaimed. Hikiyose looked to be the most surprised, completely shocked upon discovering her father was even capable of lying.

…

Everyone was talking among themselves when they reentered the class, not fully spotting the sudden lockers that protruded from the wall in front of them. "Whoa, I didn't know we got lockers!", Hamina lightly clapped with joy.

"If you're excited about _that_ , then just wait until you see what's inside them.", Izuku smirked.

Eager students raced to their assigned storage units and began digging into them with faces beaming like they just opened presents on Christmas. Hikiyose Midoriya gasped as she ran her fingers through the green fabric of a superhero uniform. "Whoa.. so THIS is why dad and mom told me to submit a sketch of what I wanted for a costume..", she gawped at how accurate the request had been fulfilled.

"You'll all be suiting up after lunch when we begin our next and final trial for the day.", Izuku shared the same goofy smile most of his class had on their faces.

"I can't wait!", Hamina practically danced with excitement.

…

Everyone already formed friend groups during the lunch break. Verde and Shuaka seemed to get along while Carame got stuck with Jayzon. Yuoro and Hikiyose shared a table with Hamina and Obachaji, also inviting Iris to join them to make a full gang of girls. However, the white haired girl seemed to set her sights on Kasai who sat at a table all by his lonesome. "Maybe next time girls..", Iris waved them off before approaching the stray wolf of the pack.

"Do you mind if I sit here?", she asked while already setting her tray of food down.

Kasai didn't offer much of a response by simply shrugging. The two ate in an awkward silence, only sharing occasional glances before looking away and blushing. Iris looked over her shoulder when she heard the table filled with girls giggling, only regretting it when she saw them all giving her a thumbs up. The boys tried doing the same gesture for Kasai, but the loner barely paid any attention to them. After several awkward minutes, Kasai broke the silence.

"So.. What's it like to be the daughter of Shoto Todoroki?", his interest seemed genuine enough. Iris could only sigh in frustration upon receiving the same question so many people asked her on a regular basis.

"It's not as good as everybody makes it out to be. I barely ever see him because of all the hero work he has to do. So, can we just.. drop that subject?", Iris groaned and began moving the food around with her fork in sorrow.

Kasai flinched at her answer before lowering his head in shame, "I'm sorry. My father.. he barely shows me any attention too.."

"Wh- Who is your father anyway?", Iris wondered.

"I've lost my appetite.", Kasai quickly got up with his tray before leaving Iris by herself.

"Wait, what did I say wrong?", Iris reached out for the boy but was far too late to stop him.

…

Hikiyose Midoriya held her arms as she slowly edged her way outside. She was super shy about showcasing her costume to everyone, despite it's awesome appearance. The reseda green mixed with red and had the same coil scarf she carried around her neck. Her hair hung out the back of a rabbit eared cowl connected to some sort of smile shaped mouthpiece. Everyone marveled at her outfit while Izuku sweatdropped upon realizing it was heavily based on HIS vigilante costume. _Ochaco's gonna kill me if she ever finds out.._ , the older Midoriya worried.

Apparently Izuku wasn't the only one to notice its similarities to his suit because now everyone was making comments about it. "Hey, you look like that vigilante that was on the news the other day! I heard he took down that Shinso villain!", Yuoro started the wave of agreement.

Yuoro's costume consisted of a yellow and orange camouflage sprawled over a dress. It complimented a headband she wore and didn't really look like a suit someone could fight in.

Iris looked like her father with the suit being a brighter blue color and the body vest a dark black instead of white. Her hair was now let down from its ponytail, showing off the waist length. Kasai tried not to stare at her but Izuku couldn't help but notice. It reminded him of how Shoto and Momo interacted with one another. Kasai wore a black trenchcoat he kept completely buttoned up and only used greasepaint as a mask.

Verde wore a green cloak that matched his feathers and looked like a perfect image of his father if Fumikage were colorful. Shuaka looked like a blue astronaut while Carame wore a red bodysuit. Jayzon revived the green color scheme a lot of students shared with what looked like a boy's version of Ochaco's suit.

"U- Um, J- Jayzon? Are you a f- fan of my w- wife?", Izuku nervously asked.

The boy looked his suit up and down like he knew exactly why he was being asked such a question. "Nope.", was all he could say back before joining the other students.

Once again, Hamina looked a lot like her mother with fake horns placed upon her head and a colorful unitard. Only Obachaji stood out as different with a lightning bolt styled outfit. Izuku figured it was based off of her father's design, but didn't quite understand why she had such a design when her quirk was like her mother's.

"AAALLLRIGHT!", another person announced their presence before dropping down. What was so surprising though, was that the purple costumed hero landed flat on their face.

"Um.. are you okay?", Izuku began to inspect the unmoving corpse before it jumped back to life.

"PERFECTLY FINE, MIDORIYA! Now, who's ready for some COMBAT TRAINING?!", the newcomer announced he was another teacher and Izuku now recognized him as Minoru Mineta.

Izuku couldn't help but slap the palm of his hand against his face, "Of course you're in charge of the Battle Trials.."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER THREE**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **I hope that makes up for the lack of vigilante stuff in the previous chapter! I also hope everyone likes the new Class 1-A I pulled out of my ass along with a lot of the revelations about pro heroes and original Class 1-A students. s082829 made a comment when Chapter One first came out telling me I needed to not have too many children be related to the original Class 1-A, so I actually excluded.. one. Can you guess who it was? Drum roll.. Shuaka was originally going to be the son of Toru Hagakure and Mashirao! I was gonna give him an invisible tail for his quirk and everything! Anyways, hopefully I did a good job restraining myself from including him and you're all proud of me!**_

 _ **ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Mystery kid02: I'm not sure if you mean One For All 'SMASH' or Ochaco & Izuku "Smash".. Yeah, that was possibly too dirty of a joke. I'm gonna go out on a whim and assume you meant One For All smashes. So, as you can probably tell from the story's title – Izuku is quirkless and so is his daughter. I'll get around to explaining more on why that is and what All Might ended up doing later on.. You can also expect the Midoriyas (besides Ochaco) to STAY quirkless in this story. I read a few fanfictions where Izuku was quirkless for a few chapters and then BAM he gets a quirk, and it kinda pissed me off. I wanna see the intelligent side of Izuku explored a little more and see how he gets by without a quirk. So, if people don't start writing stories about Izuku going through U.A quirkless or likewise as a villain or vigilante, I may have to do it myself after this and Have Fear! But uh.. yeah, sorry for rambling. Long story short: No smash.**_

 _ **s082829: I like that suggestion! I'm thinking I'll wait until the students receive their hero names before I gave Izuku his, that way it'll give more time for witnesses to build up the hype of 'all I saw was a green shadow'. I'm just worried that might be too long a wait..**_

 _ **bladetri: Hope I can keep it that way!**_

 _ **Alrighty! That's all the reviews for now! Tune in – uuhhh, read.. in? READ NEXT TIME to experience the Battle Trials! Should I cram it all in one HUUUUGE chapter or spread it out as several? LEMME KNOW!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	4. Battles Of Endurance

The new teacher was about the same height as his students, sporting a hero costume flashier than their own. Spherical objects posed as the man's hair with the same violet color that covered his outfit and the ankle length cape that draped over his shoulders. The only misplaced color was the glimmering white gloves and boots he also wore, along with a..

"Pfft, is that a diaper?", the pink skinned girl did her best to stifle a laugh. Hamina doubled over when she saw the shocked expression on Minoru's face.

"IT'S NOT A DIAPER!", the grown up Mineta instinctively covered his lower half with the cape. A face flushed full of red was easy to notice since it clashed with his other colors. The class had to cover their mouths to avoid snickering at their sensei's embarrassment, even Izuku had a hard time containing his laughter.

"Is it underwear?", Carame barely managed to gasp out his question with all the cackles & giggles.

"IT'S NOT UNDERWEAR EITHER!", Minoru flapped his arms in frustration.

"O- Okay everyone, enough teasing your other sensei. Please treat him with the same respect you've shown me.", Izuku tried to stop his own endless chuckling while lecturing the class.

"That's right! Show me some respect! I'm the pro hero: Grapejuice!", Mineta stated matter-of-factly. A cocky smirk etched across the teacher's face as he put his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.

"PFFTT, 'GRAPEJUICE', WHAT KINDA LAME HERO NAME IS THAT?!", Carame burst into another fit of laughter as he clutched his stomach. The elastic teen couldn't keep himself standing as he continued cackling over the teacher's alter ego.

"That's enough! Anymore remarks like that, and you'll be going to the principal's office! Got it?", Izuku suddenly let a more aggressive side break loose. Hikiyose was the most surprised at her father's sudden shouting, he never used a tone like that throughout her entire childhood, even when she got into trouble he kept a calm & collective nature. The class recoiled at their scolding and could only nod their heads in response.

"Thanks Midoriya-Senpai!", Mineta placed a thankful hand on his co-worker's shoulder. Izuku couldn't contain a cringe as he tried to politely shake it off with a nervous chuckle.

"Senpai?", Yuoro snickered in a hushed whisper with Hikiyose.

"Now that you've gotten everybody's attention for me, it's time I announce the next lesson! Indoor personal battle training! You'll be split into teams, heroes versus villains, and fight each other two on two!", Minoru briefly ran over the basics.

"B- But, how do we do that without any prior experience?", Yuoro began to hyperventilate.

"I tried to convince the principal to change our rules when it came to this simulation, due to the distinctive difference being you battle classmates and not villain clones.", Izuku nodded in agreement. "HOWEVER, most of you have parents who work in the hero field and she had no doubt that they taught you a few maneuvers just in case. We're hoping practical experience teaches you the basics.", the green haired sensei clarified U.A's reasoning. Hikiyose smiled as she recalled training with her father and mother, noticing similar smirks or nods from her peers. Izuku pulled out the same binder he had used to take notes on his student's quirks during the apprehension tests. "This will also help me further determine your capabilities! You'll find that using your quirk in combat is entirely different from common tasks."

"And partnering up with someone will help you prepare for likely teamwork!", Mineta added. "Right, Midoriya?", he then looked to his co-worker for reassurance. Izuku gave the purple pro an approving nod. Minoru cleared his throat before continuing, "So listen up cause' we know what we're talking about! Here's the deal. Villain teams are hiding a nuclear weapon in their hideout-"

"A _fake prop_ of a bomb, of course!", Izuku interjected with a nervous laugh.

"Right.. So, the bad guy's side has to either protect the nuclear weapon until time runs out or capture the heroes! The hero team has that limited amount of time to secure the bomb or capture the villains!", Mineta finished explaining the battle simulation.

"Ooo, OOO, do we get to pick our team members!?", Hamina shot her arm up as she asked the question. The pink person filled with energy hopped between feet as she waited impatiently for an answer.

"To avoid the disadvantage of friends working together, we'll decide the teams based on drawing slots. It also helps prepare for real life scenarios where you may have to work with another pro hero at random.", Izuku answered his student's question while Mineta seemed to pull a tally box from who knows where.

"Team A will be heroes! Nagaidesu and Kaminari, that'll be you two!", Minoru announced what was written on the first slips of paper he pulled out. Carame gave his partner a thumbs up while Obachaji mouthed an inaudible 'fuck'.

"And Team B will be villains, obviously. They are, uh, Akauna and Shimasu.", Izuku announced the second group.

"Why did it have to be 'puke boy'..?", Yuoro hung her head in disappointment while Hikiyose tried to comfort her. While the young Midoriya girl was also upset about missing the opportunity to be paired with her friend, she was highly curious about who would be her partner.

"Team C is made up of villains too! That's gonna be Iris Todoroki and.. um, Kasai? That's it? Just one name? Like Adele?", Mineta raised an eyebrow while he looked to his shrugging co-worker for reassurance.

"Looks like we'll be on the same team. Let's give it our best.", Iris tried socializing with her partner, but the edgy teen only gave a grunt as his response.

"Team D is heroes! Tokoyami and my daughter, I mean, M- Midoriya.. will be teaming up for this one.", Izuku stammered out the next result. The green haired teacher then made his way to the green feathered teen and whispered, "Please watch over her for me."

"You have my word.", Verde bowed in respect as he made the promise.

"Team E has Sero and Pqerosu on it! Also heroes!", Minoru announced.

"Hey, wait a second, we're short by two classmates! Who's gonna be the other team?!", Hamina whined.

Izuku and Minoru gave each other a glance before smirking, "We're a villain team too.", the whole class shivered at the thought of having to fight their teachers.

"The first two groups facing each other will be Team A and Team C. The rest of us will be watching the match from a surveillance room. Give it your all everyone, Plus Ultra!"

…

Carame and Obachaji stood outside the boarded up building, each one uncertain as to how they should enter. "We're up against freaking Todoroki! We might as well call it a match..", Nagaidesu sulked. The girl with ear jacks used one to slap her teammate across the cheek.

"That just means we have to try harder. Quit complaining about everything and put your quirk to good use! Can you use your elastic arms to hoist us up?", Kaminari pointed to the only window that didn't appear to have some sort of blockage. Carame blushed as he nodded his head, the girl wrapping her arms around his neck in a loose grip. Nagaidesu then extended both hands and propelled the hero team forward like a grappling hook.

The rest of Class 1-A watched as their peers stealthily sneaked into the hideout. Izuku's hand moved at the speed of light as he scribbled down notes about the hero team's strategy. On another monitor, Kasai and Iris appeared to be discussing something while they guarded the nuclear prop. Todoroki had frost emitting from her hands before she created ice mannequins like the Entrance Exam. Groups of two newly created minions split up, clearly meant to act as a diversion for the hero team. Once the first phase of the villain plan was enacted, Iris followed up by creating an icy cage for the bomb to be kept in. Kasai began to stroll across the room, much to Todoroki's dismay.

"Where are you going?!", Iris tried to keep her voice at a hushed whisper despite the anger leaking out.

"We're the villains, aren't we? I'm going to play my part.", Kasai shrugged her off before leaving.

Meanwhile, Carame waited impatiently as Obachaji plugged her ear jacks into each corner they rounded to see if she could hear the opposing team. "I say we forget all this stealth stuff, I'll just wrap up Todoroki with my elastic arms and that Kasai kid doesn't seem like too much trouble..", Nagaidesu kept his voice at a low whisper despite the impulse to pull a frontal attack.

"Ssshh..", Kaminari waved her partner off.

"Don't ignore me, come on, it's a good plan!", Carame continued to protest despite his teammate's constant shushing.

"No, you don't understand, I hear something..", Obachaji explained why she was trying to keep the volume low. This made Carame shut up long enough for Kaminari to pick up the footsteps of an ice minion. "WATCH OUT!", she called out to her partner while tackling Nagaidesu. The two narrowly missed a swing from the ice henchman's fist.

Carame then retaliated with an attack of his own, shattering the goon into a bunch of shards. "We make a pretty good team!", he commented with a smirk. The teenage boy was too distracted to notice the second ice minion coming up behind him, resulting in a rescue from Obachaji. "Heh.. thanks."

"Don't mention it.", Kaminari rolled her eyes while helping her partner to his feet. "This can only mean we're getting close to the bomb."

The two then continued their cautious journey through the labyrinth, rounding each corner with unease. Class 1-A watched with the same anxious feelings as each team grew closer together. Izuku's interest was peaked when he saw Kasai venturing off on his own. The teen dug into a pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out what appeared to be a pocketknife. Izuku's heart clenched as he worried about one of his student's getting stabbed or cut, making him wonder if he should call off the match before things escalated. What surprised the spectators though, was that the knife wasn't for the hero team. Kasai used the blade to carve a deep scar into the flesh of his hand, making the class recoil and close their eyes. Blood seeped from the careless teen as he dragged his palm across the floor, making a perfect red path.

It didn't take long for the hero team to find the trail of red liquid. Carame reluctantly gulped back any fear as he continuously followed Obachaji. The path eventually led them to a dead end where Kasai waited patiently for the duo. Kaminari pulled out a roll of capture tape that the teachers provided, ready to engage in combat. "Where's Todoroki and the bomb?", Obachaji looked like she was playing the bad cop of an interrogation.

"I lost track as I went.. Doesn't matter. It seems you found _me_ and I found _you_ as planned.", Kasai shrugged nonchalantly. The teen shrouded in shadows took a step back as the heroes edged closer.

"Fine. We'll find her after we deal with you.", Obachaji returned the casual shrug. Both teens had a war of shrugging off one another, making everyone else very uncomfortable. The duo of heroes continued edging closer as Kasai became backed into a corner. What shocked Kaminari most, was how care free the enemy seemed to be as he pointed down with a sinister smirk. The hero team glanced down to see what they had walked into.

Izuku gulped as he watched from the surveillance system, "They fell for his trap..", Obachaji and Carame were both standing in the middle of a circle of blood.

Kasai's palm touched the red streak again, "Everyone asked me what my quirk was back during the apprehension test.. I call it **Igniter Fluid**.", fire then began streaming along the blood painted path. It looped around the hero team, trapping them in a ring of flames.

"So his blood acts as some sort of gasoline.. I wonder if that's only manageable through contact with oxygen or possibly worse, if it's _only his_ blood that works.", Izuku trembled at the thought of someone bursting into flames from the inside.

"Team C wins due to Kasai capturing Team A!", Minoru Mineta announced the first victory.

Iris cocked her head in confusion after hearing her teacher's statement through the earpiece. "Kasai beat them alone?", Todoroki's interest in her teammember suddenly peaked.

…

"Team B and Team E are next."

Shuaka and Hamina were in the same boat as the previous hero team. The pink skinned girl used her acid tape to catapult each other into the open window. Once inside, Shuaka used his quirk to shrink into the size of an ant and hid in his partner's hand. Also like Carame & Obachaji, the duo began cautiously sneaking through the building.

Yuoro and Jayzon immediately got into an argument over what they should do as a strategy. "I can eat the bomb, if I can fit into my mouth..", Shimasu suggested.

"Wouldn't that just be the same as forfeiting?!", Akauna ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"I didn't really think of it that way, you're probably right though.", Jayzon nodded.

Yuoro huffed a heavy sigh, "Look.. I'm not gonna be much help. This kinda falls all on you."

"Wh- What do you mean?", Jayzon began to shake with worry.

"My quirk only powers up other people, not myself. You have to fight the others all on your own if they find us.", Yuoro briefly elaborated.

"I.. I don't know if I can do that..", Jayzon voiced his concerns while he clutched his stomach. "I think I'm gonna puke.."

"DON'T YOU DARE!", Yuoro jumped back after being stricken with terror.

That's when Hamina Sero arrived, promptly using her tape to restrain Akauna. The acid let out a slight hiss as it singed Yuoro's costume. Jayzon had no time to react as Hamina unclenched her fist and allowed Shuaka Pqerosu to resize with an uppercut. With the villain team defeated, the heroes gave one another a victory highfive.

"Team E wins!", the announcement from Minoru Mineta made Hikiyose tremble with doubt. The young girl couldn't watch the monitors for a second longer as she thought about the loss of her friend. Fear and worry began creeping into the teenager's head as she thought about potentially losing _her_ match.

…

"Team D will be fighting _us_ for the final round.", Mineta started the next match. "I hope you have no problem battling your own daughter, Midoriya.", Minoru turned to his partner with concern.

"I- I should be fine.. I want her to be strong and grow into a great hero, ya know. So, if this is what it takes, then so be it!", Izuku hyped himself up.

"Are you sure? I'D be so SO happy to fight her FOR you.", the purple pervert had drool seeping from his mouth at the thought of battling a teenage girl. Izuku put the potential pedophile into a position that could break Mineta's arm after hearing the off handed comment about his daughter. "AAAHH, SORRY, SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!", Minoru struggled as he felt the applied pressure sprain his wrist.

Class 1-A gawped at seeing their sensei easily restrain a pro hero without using a quirk. "Hey.. what is sensei's quirk anyway?", Carame wondered upon realizing he never saw it used.

"Let's watch closely and find out.", Iris Todoroki gained the approval of her class as they continued viewing the monitors intently.

Verde Tokoyami and Hikiyose Midoriya took a different approach by entering through the building's front door. The hero team cursed themselves for being so careless as a bell chimed to announce their arrival. The duo made haste to flee from their current position out of fear that the teachers heard it. Both teens hid in another room behind closed doors, preparing to discuss their course of attack.

"I.. I'm sorry to tell you this _now_ , but I'm quirkless.. So, I-", Hikiyose didn't get to finish her apology as the bird boy placed a finger over her mouth to shush her. The green haired girl blushed profusely and became frozen in place as she realized she was having a physical interaction with the opposite sex.

"I'm not concerned about what you consider to be a weakness. I suggest you focus on your strengths instead. For instance, one of the opponent's we're facing is your father. That gives us a slight advantage since you know personal things about him.", Verde reassured his partner.

"M- My dad.. knowing him, he's probably already got a plan on how to beat us. He's REALLY good at strategizing, always thinking things through. Anything that **I** come up with will be expected. He doesn't know enough about YOU yet though! Like.. what's your full quirk?", Hikiyose began to see the logic in her partner's suggestion.

"It's hard to say, I feel like I've inherited more than one gene from my parents, but all I can manage is my mother's frog tongue.", Tokoyami scratched the feathers around the base of his skull.

"That's not good.. N- NO OFFENSE! I mean, it's not good considering we're in the same boat and don't know about Grapejuice-Sensei's quirk.", Hikiyose yammered out.

"We'll need to remain on our guard then.", Verde nodded in agreement before the two started moving again. The duo found their way to a staircase that would help them reach the higher levels, but before Verde could enter, Hikiyose extended an arm to stop him. "What's wrong?", Tokoyami wondered.

"My dad will expect us to use the stairs.. we need to take the elevator shaft.", Hikiyose pointed to an out of commission conveyor.

"Didn't you say we should also do the opposite of what you suggest?", Verde cocked his head.

"Well.. yeah.. but, trust me on this one!", Hikiyose got her partner to reluctantly agree before the two pried open the metal sliding doors. Verde then used his tongue as a grappling hook and Hikiyose held onto him so the two could be pulled to their proper floor.

Whenever the two stepped out of the shaft though, Verde's foot was met with a sticky purple ball, latching him in place. "I'm stuck!", Tokoyami alerted his teammate before the villain team performed their ambush. Minoru Mineta had supplied Izuku Midoriya with a few of his sticky spheres, allowing the green haired sensei to plant several traps throughout the lair. Hikiyose narrowly ducked under an attempt to get her stuck as well, eyeing her father who now revealed his hiding spot.

"I know you so well sweetheart, of course you wouldn't use the more obvious route of the staircase! I dunno whether I should be proud or discouraged that you still technically chose the obvious route by using the elevator shaft.", Izuku's words made his daughter & Verde grimace.

"I told you we should have taken the stairs!", Tokoyami groaned.

"Shut up and restrain him with your tongue!", Hikiyose called out to her partner who followed the order instantly. Izuku evaded the attempt to capture him with lightning fast reflexes.

"That wouldn't have worked either. I had Mineta guard the staircase in case you DID decide to surprise me with an alternative path.", Izuku gave away the position of his partner while dodging another shot from Verde's tongue.

"Tokoyami-San, get yourself free from that trap. I'll hold off my dad from here..", Hikiyose began to unravel the scarf of steel wire clothes. Izuku realized his daughter was serious and got into a fighting stance, the technique taught by Aizawa proved to be a challenging & effective one.

The capture cloth roped out like a lasso, mimicking her father's movements. It took a great amount of agility and acrobatics to evade such a lively substance. Much like Verde's tongue, Hikiyose began lashing out at her father with the strand. Izuku didn't break a sweat as he easily evaded all her attacks, this didn't stop him from smiling though. He was so proud of his little girl and how far she had come in her combat training. "Really dad, you're SMILING?!", his daughter's angry voice snapped him out of the daze and threw him off guard long enough for Hikiyose to land a slap across his face. Everyone seemed to stand still as they realized what had just happened. "Oh God.. sorry dad, I-", Hikiyose didn't get to finish her apology as her father took out her legs. "That was real cheap to use my emotions as an advantage!", Hikiyose complained.

"Well.. I _am_ the bad guy!", Izuku sinisterly chuckled. The sudden dark side of her father sent chills down Hikiyose's spine. She began to back away, crawling back until she bumped into a wall. Once he had her cornered, Izuku dropped the fake evil grin and felt pity for having to make her fail.

"Stay away from her! _BRIGHT UMBRA!_ ", Verde took advantage of the father's hesitation by summoning a shining being from his mid section. The creature had features mirroring its master, but radiated like the sun as it lashed out at Izuku. The teacher was so blinded and surprised by the attack, that it was enough to knock him away. "I'm sorry, Midoriya-Sensei. I am merely holding to the vow I made to watch over your daughter."

"I thought you said your tongue was the only part of your quirk?!", Hikiyose gasped out in shock upon seeing the new prowess from her teammate.

Verde rubbed the feathers on the back of his head, thankful they covered his face and hid a slight blush. "I thought so too.. but seeing you in danger made me discover what I knew was hidden inside me.", Tokoyami helped Hikiyose get to her feet.

"Oh.. uh, w- well, thanks for s- saving me..", the green haired girl shied away with a similar blush. The two then snapped back into action and ran down the hall in pursuit of the bomb.

Izuku held the throbbing bruise Verde's attack would leave on him as he regained his bearings. "That was a lot like his father's Dark Shadow.. Such an unexpected move with perfect timing. I have to give it to them, they make a good pair.", Izuku made mental notes to write in his journal later.

Verde and Hikiyose kicked open the door that led to the bomb room, only to be shocked upon seeing the nuke was missing. Minoru Mineta stood in its place with his cape draped around his body and pulled to his jaw like Dracula. "Looks like Midoriya-Senpai was right! Moving the bomb to another room would catch you two off guard!", Grapejuice let out a maniacal laughter.

"Your father is certainly living up to the reputation you created..", Verde acknowledged Izuku's strategy to defeat the hero team. Hikiyose only offered an agreeing nod and grunted in frustration that her dad managed to trick them a second time.

"Now... SUFFER THE GRAPE RUSH!", Mineta then bolted at the duo while rapidly tossing his sticky spheres in a wild frenzy. Verde shoved his teammate to save her, taking the blunt of the attack and getting stuck in place.

"Tokoyami!", Hikiyose cried out upon seeing her partner sacrifice himself.

"Find the nuclear weapon! It's my turn to hold the villain off!", Verde ordered his teammember. Hikiyose shared a thankful nod with her partner before running off with determination to finish what they had started.

"Get back here!", Minoru was about to pursue the girl, but got hung up by Verde's tongue. "Hey! No fair, lemme go!", Mineta struggled and kicked.

Hikiyose Midoriya kicked down several doors as she continued racing down hallways, searching every room for where her father may have hidden the fake nuke. After numerous attempts, she finally found the right one and was about to grab it – when Izuku Midoriya stood in her way.

"Dammit dad! Step aside!", Hikiyose groaned in frustration.

"I'm sorry Hikiyose, but I won't go easy on you just because you're my daughter.", Izuku held remorse in his tone but forced himself to keep fighting on the belief that it would make her stronger.

"Fine..", the daughter of Midoriya draped her scarf once more. Izuku heavily sighed as he prepared for what could be a challenging battle. The father & daughter then charged one another head on, blocking jabs and knees as each one performed spectacular displays of combat. It looked like the two were entangled in an elegant dance as they sparred with one another, hand to hand fighting that brisked around the room. Everyone in the surveillance room gawped at how they were both able to keep up and perform perfect jutsus. Izuku found himself grinning again, but so was Hikiyose as the two actually felt like they were having fun together.

"Go Hikiyose!", Yuoro Akauna cheered from the spectator booth as she watched the fight on the monitors. Hamina and Obachaji joined in with the whoops and hollers for their classmate as the battle raged on. Nobody could take their eyes off the screen as they watched both Midoriyas wage all out war.

Each fighter lunged, swinging and missing while the other retaliated with a kick or punch. Izuku slapped aside his daughter's palms and feet as if he were wiping a window or waving someone off while Hikiyose continued to dodge and weave against her father's attacks. Blow by blow, each fist struck a palm and each kick pressed a hand. They struggled to break through eachother's defenses, both failing miserably. The pace remained despite each fighter's faltering stamina, leaving nothing but a blur for spectators to view. Izuku caught his daughter's hand before thrusting it forward and using his own weight to toss her over his shoulder. The move reminded him of his first fight during U.A's Battle Trials, one he had planned and used on Katsuki Bakugo. The childhood tormentor left his mind as Izuku refocused on the fight at hand. Hikiyose regained her footing, prepared for another round.

The older Midoriya prepared to counter his daughter's next attack, until he caught the glimmer of a security camera recording the entire battle. Izuku began to realize the entire fight was being recorded and the tape would display all of his combat moves. The secret vigilante began to worry about his identity being discovered if a viewer were to recognize the same technique from other recordings. The alleyway fight and bank battle flashed through his memory, making Izuku go on the defense and pull his attacks when going on the offense. Hikiyose started losing her former excitement as she began noticing her father falter on purpose, "Are you _letting_ me win?! What happened to what you said about not taking it easy on me?!", she complained through heavy breathing.

Izuku purposefully threw sloppier punches and forced himself to narrowly dodge attacks. "You're forgetting that I'm older than you, sweetheart. I get winded faster.", Izuku panted back; he hated lying to his daughter but had to make some sort of excuse to avoid suspicion. Hikiyose frowned as she realized the elegant dance they once had was gone, all that remained was an off key trip up. Since her father was starting to hold back, she could now manage to land a few hits.

To test her theory that he was pulling his punches, she left an opening for him to take advantage of. When Izuku backed off instead of taking it, she huffed in disappointment. "I knew it! I'm not some little girl that doesn't know what she's doing anymore! I can handle my own against you!", she heaved in both anger & exhaustion.

"I know that sweetie, I'm not holding back out of fear that I'll hurt you. I'm trying as hard as you are.", Izuku lied yet again. Even when the two held an on sync battle, he had been revoking himself of going all out. If he really tried to beat her, he would destroy her in a matter of seconds. Izuku also refused to hit his own daughter, it was the one thing he wouldn't do.

"You're lying!", Hikiyose sobbed through tears before rushing her dad with equally as sloppy swings. Izuku easily managed to counter them and tripped her up before backing off again. "See? You could have beaten me there, but you're letting me go on..", his daughter's crying felt like a dagger piercing Izuku's heart.

"What do you think they're talking about?", Jayzon Shimasu wondered from the surveillance room. The feed had no audio, only teachers were able to hear and communicate with the previous Battle Trial teams.

"Midoriya-San..", Yuoro rasped out upon seeing her friend's upset expression on the monitor.

Izuku sidestepped his daughter's desperate attacks now, all sense of martial arts thrown out the window. Their battle had been reduced to a pitiful match, and it was time for it to end. Izuku regretted kicking out the back of his daughter's knees and shoving one of her arms behind her back as he pinned the other. Hikiyose struggled against the pin, but only cried out in pain upon Izuku twisting her arm. "You're beaten. Tap out.", her father sighed.

"N- Never!", Hikiyose continued wriggling in her dad's grip. Izuku applied more pressure to the hold he had on her arm, making her wreathe in agony.

"It's no use, Hikiyose. This particular hold requires you to break your own arm to escape it. That's the only way out of the pin.", Izuku tightened his grip to emphasis the point.

"Whatever it takes!", the teenage girl cried out as she dislocated the bone and broke free from her father. Izuku watched in awe with the rest of his class as Hikiyose carried her own weight to the nuclear weapon. "I win.", she sobbed while placing her one good arm on the object.

"That's my girl. Now lets get you to the infirmary.", Izuku smiled as she fell into his arms.

"Team D wins."

…

"Time for a recap!", Minoru Mineta stalled for time with Class 1-A while his co-worker tended to Hikiyose's injury. "Can anybody tell me why certain teams failed and others didn't?", Grapejuice asked the crowd of students.

"Because my partner sucked!", Yuoro folded her arms.

"I DO NOT!", Jayzon shouted while on the verge of his desk.

The interaction between students was enough to make Carame and Obachaji snicker while Kasai & Iris rolled their eyes. Hamina and Shuaka had to stifle a laugh considering they were the ones who beat Yuoro's team, each one desperately trying to hold it in.

"You totally do, it's all your fault!", Yuoro yelled back. The argument was just too much, Sero and Pqerosu burst into fits of laughter.

"Akauna, refrain from blaming your classmate for the failure.", Izuku's arrival was like a sudden wave of silence washing over the room.

"Midoriya-Sensei! How is Midoriya-San, um, your daughter?", Yuoro eagerly asked.

"Yeah! _**How is she?!**_ ", Mineta had a creepy tone when sharing the same question. It earned a smack upside the back of his head from Izuku.

"She's recovering well. Come tomorrow, she'll be back in commission.", the green haired teacher shared a relieving smile with the class.

"Glad to hear it.", Iris Todoroki shared a consoling nod with her sensei.

"Yeah! She was so awesome when fighting you! You were all like, WHACK AND THWACK, and she was all like, NU UH!", Hamina Sero performed crazed hand motions like she were in the Matrix or something.

"Sensei was a badass too!", Jayzon Shimasu chimed in. His compliment was enough to make Izuku blush in embarrassment.

"It WAS pretty awesome..", Carame Nagaidesu agreed with the chorus of praising from his classmates.

"Though, we never did get to see your quirk. I'm curious as to what it may be.", Todoroki pointed out.

Izuku awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck while Mineta answered for him, "Midoriya-Senpai is quirkless. That's what makes him so special."

Most of the class let out 'oo' and 'awes' at this revelation, completely taken by surprise. "That explains why Hikiyose has none either. Not to mention your various forms of martial arts. Without a quirk, you two taught yourself different combat techniques to keep up with the rest of us.", Verde Tokoyami gave credit where credit was due.

"I guess the secret's out.. yep, I'm quirkless.", Izuku nervously & anxiously laughed despite the class applauding him for it.

"But I don't get it, didn't Midoriya-San show signs of super strength and speed during the Apprehension Test and Entrance Exam?", Nagaidesu remarked.

"Oh, that was all me! My quirk acts as a sort of upgrade for others.", Yuoro chimed in.

"Which reminds me, we should get back on topic. You blamed Shimasu for your failure, but you can't always rely on others to carry you to a victory. You only see your quirk as useful to _others_ while you need to focus on making _yourself_ more powerful. That's the real reason you two lost to the other team.", Izuku lectured Akauna.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Midoriya-Senpai!", Minoru flashed his co-worker a thumbs up & grin. _Joke's on him, I never would have thought of such wisdom! But he'll never know that as long as I play along!_ , Mineta had wicked thoughts despite Izuku knowing full well that this was the case.

"But Sensei, how do I focus on making myself stronger when my quirk is meant for others?", Yuoro wondered.

"There you go again assuming that's the only way it can be used. All quirks are created equally and have multiple uses when it comes down to it.", Izuku's answer made Yuoro's face flush red.

"You and Midoriya-San showed off some pretty cool moves, Sensei! Can you teach me how to do _that_ and then I'd have a way to fight for myself?", Akauna asked.

"I'm sure Hikiyose would love to see you more often around the house, so we could possibly fit some training in.", Izuku smiled at the thought of taking on another protege.

"Me too! Can you teach me too?!", other students began speaking up about their interest until it got out of hand. It took Mineta screaming at the top of his lungs to make them all stop shouting.

"Wh- Why did you yell like that?!", Izuku stammered while uncupping his hands from his ears.

"It worked. Didn't it?", Minoru shrugged.

"I GUESS! Whatever.. Moving on! S- So, we were discussing why certain people had failure and o- others succeeded. That all rides on the same problem I saw each of you exhibit: Teamwork.", Izuku went from addressing his co-worker to the class.

"Ah, I see. Like how Kasai ran off on me, rather than working together to defend the bomb.", Iris used her simulation as an example. Kasai only offered a grunt as his response.

"He still managed to win though, and that was going against Kaminari-San and I who had actual teamwork.", Carame pointed out.

"That may be true, but things could have easily gone differently. Let's say Kasai was the one to get captured and not Nagaidesu or Kaminari. Then Todoroki would have been all by herself and would have the disadvantage. Teamwork is usually the key to success.", Izuku reasoned.

"Yes, like how Shimasu and Akauna were dysfunctional working together. They were too distracted with their arguing, that Sero and Pqerosu were able to get the drop on them.", Verde offered a perfect example.

"Exactly. When two teams that were able to cooperate with one another like yours and mine collided, it was a more indecisive and drawn out match.", Izuku agreed.

"Yeah!", everyone looked at Minoru who decided to butt into the conversation. "Wh- What?"

" _Anyways.._ I think I made my point pretty clear. We covered a lot today, I think everyone made excellent progress! Tomorrow, we'll _really_ put your quirks to the test and focus on some rescue simulations! Until then, class is dismissed.", Izuku allowed the students to then disperse and go home.

…

Dabi used his heated fingernail to carve a burned in smiley face, patiently waiting for Himiko Toga to make him a cocktail. After their former associates and bosses, Kurogiri & Tomura Shigaraki, were put out of commission; the two villains claimed the bar as their own. When the couple weren't managing drug trades or weapon shipments in a warehouse, they were here in the makeshift little lair.

"Do you think our little spy managed to get anything useful today?", the crazy blonde wobbled like she had already drunk thousands of the mugi shochu she served Dabi. The burn victim plucked the mini umbrella Toga had added for decoration from his drink before downing it.

Dabi etched the face he had singed into the bar counter to look more like a frown. "I wouldn't be surprised if he fell short of our expectations.", the new kingpin of crime slid his empty shot glass back to the hostess.

"You need a little more faith in em, he's a good boy!", Himiko reassured her partner in crime as she began mixing him another drink.

"Only because he's properly punished when he fails.", Dabi ignited a miniature ball of smoldering blue flames to imply the kind of torture he had performed. The fire danced in the palm of his scarred hand, flickering around as it tried to grab onto another victim.

Himiko surprised the man by grabbing his wrist with a strong grip, "Don't.", the statement was more of a warning than anything. Toga loosed her grasp upon receiving a intent glare from Dabi, "Please don't..", this time she was pleading.

"That depends on whether he failed or not.", was all that Dabi offered in response to console the woman.

The exchange was then broken up by the arrival of someone else. The person they had been discussing.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't fail. I have something for you..something you'll like very much."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER FOUR**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Dun, dun, dunnn!**_

 _ **So, as you can see, I used Mineta as pure comedy relief, he's mostly hated by the My Hero Academia Community, so I didn't want to include him without making it worth your while. Hopefully I succeeded.**_

 _ **In regards to the ongoing decision around Izuku's vigilante name, I did some digging into the green shadow title s082829 suggested. By that, I mean I searched up the Japanese translation.. it was a combination of Midoriya and Fumikage/Tokoyami. That didn't really help.. HOWEVER, I also searched up what VIGILANTE was translated to in Japanese. Drum roll please – Jikei-dan. Part of me thought that was pretty cool, maybe shortened to Jikei or something. So I'm torn on the choice because both sound pretty neat, I'll leave it up to you to decide!**_

 _ **ONTO MY FAVORITE PART, THE REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: After what Izuku did in this chapter too, Ochaco will probably kill him off before a villain does!**_

 _ **Grenobi: Happy that you're enjoying the story thus far! Also hope I continued to strew that chuckling into this chapter, my little moments of comedy relief can either shine or make people cringe. Hopefully both!**_

 _ **Blizzardfang: Thanks, I have a lot planned! We're only getting started, muhahahaha! As for the 'Deku' nickname, I've been trying to figure out how to implant that. I was going to make it something Ochaco called Izuku when she got mad at him, but that felt too out of character and cruel. The loving form of 'Deku' also felt too convenient.. so, there's always Bakugo's form of using it as an insult. That'll work just fine when Kacchan shows what he's been up to.**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Sounds about right, that's definitely something I would subject my readers to! Thanks for implanting that image in my head, because now I'm obsessed with it. You heard it here folks, you have Patrick (if that's actually your name) to blame for that future heart breaking moment! Just messing around with ya.. or am I? I certainly have stuff planned when it comes to Izuku's identity and kinds of crisis he could get into. I don't want to spoil anything, but the whole Heisenberg secret and how that seeped out in Breaking Bad might be of some influence. Funny you should also mention Todoroki and the other pros, they have yet to make their debut, don't they? Boy, I'M supposed to be the one making YOU hyped for future chapters and storylines! All I can say, is at least you see the heart wrenching moments to come, you can prepare for it by enjoying the happy moments like this chapter gave you.**_

 _ **I do apologize for ANOTHER chapter with minimal vigilante stuff in it.. well, this one had NONE.. but..**_

 _ **I'll make up for it in the next one when he gets to reunite with Dabi and a few other past enemies..**_


	5. Encounter

A runaway bus railed through several layers of traffic, wreaking havoc as it stormed down busy streets. The vehicle swerved in between lanes to avoid hitting other cars as it ran several red lights. Pedestrians cleared the sidewalk as the automobile overtook the pathway and crashed through anything in its way. Chaos filled the night due to a simple malfunction, sometimes cataclysm came in forms other than a villain. Bad guy or not, people were being put in harm's way and no hero seemed to be around nor willing to stop it. Luckily, another capable being roamed the night and had been pursuing the runaway bus from the rooftops at an equally fast pace. The figure casted a green shadow as it leaped overhead, almost as if it were striking a pose mid air. Soon enough, the chaser caught up to the malfunctioning vehicle and made contact.

Passengers screamed and scurried away from whatever landed on the roof with a loud thud. Smaller noises moved forward from its original source, almost like metallic footsteps. The bus swerved as its driver attempted to avoid a civilian crossing the street. The sudden hard turn forced the hitchhiker to tumble across the vehicle's roof until they managed to get a good grip again. Wind rushed past the rider as he began trekking towards the front again. Passengers continued holding one another in trembling fear, still looking at the ceiling as something stirred above them. Without brakes, the bus driver could only do his best to steer the hunk of metal from harming others. The hitchhiker had other plans on helping as he finally reached the hood.

The driver nearly had a heart attack when he came face to face with the vigilante everyone had been hearing about on the news. The illegal hero stared back at him through the windshield before climbing out of sight. Everyone else shared the same sight and wondered the same thing, _Were they about to be saved by someone who wasn't a pro hero?_ The vigilante crawled beneath the bus, working on the wiring and finding the damaged brakes. Though the line didn't look cut, he knew something was wrong and worked to repair it. Concrete roads flew past beneath him in a blur, threatening to tear the skin off his back if he were to lean away too much. The metallic engineering revved with a similar dangerous magnitude, catching the vigilante between a rock & a hard place.

The driver continued pressing one pedal, the other foot off the gas. All attempts to stop the vehicle in motion seemed hopeless as it barreled down the street. As the bus hit a pothole, the vigilante beneath it felt himself smash against the road's hard surface. The pain was almost enough to render him unconscious and loosened the vigilante's grip enough to make him skid along. The illegal hero didn't hold back an agonizing shout as the flesh on his back grazed against the road, his suit didn't offer any sort of protection against such a severe scrape. Despite his pain, the masked man continued focusing on helping others rather than himself. His fingers dug into the feed and reworked everything so the brake could finally set in. The bus came to a screeching halt, almost running over the vigilante as he completely let go of the underbelly.

Passengers continued holding eachother with water filled eyes, but no longer from fear, the crying was from tears of joy & gratitude. The driver exited his vehicle to thank the rescuer, only to discover the vigilante had already fled. For a hero to save everyone and not stick around for any sort of praise or appreciation seemed unheard of, making everybody wonder what kind of guardian angel had really protected them. All of this had been caught on traffic cameras, gathered up by U.A & authorities for a thorough investigation.

Viewers of the recorded footage wondered the same exact thing the victims had. Momo Todoroki had called a meeting in the branch of the academy with several teachers & pro heroes to discuss it all. Izuku Midoriya was the only one among them that really understand the gravity of the situation. Others speculated the vigilante's reasoning while some just focused on their given job to arrest him. Minoru Mineta was awfully quiet for once, along with Mezo Shoji and the rest of U.A's staff. Fumikage Tokoyami shared the silence that everyone else had. Izuku held Ochaco close as they patiently waited for Momo to speak. Even Lemilion kept a serious attitude as the group kept their anticipation.

"I apologize for my husband's absence. He wished for me to express his apologies on not being able to attend.", Momo broke everyone's attention from the recorded footage so they could begin the meeting.

"As expected from the number one hero, there's no time for smaller matters such as this. Tell him not to be concerned, we all understand.", Fumikage seemed to speak for the rest of the room as the heroes & teachers shared a nod in agreement.

"Very well. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that. Now, onto why I called you here. As you can see.. there's a vigilante loose in Hosu. We can confirm that they are acting without a license since they haven't come forward after all this time. That being said.. we must unfortunately take action and capture the vigilante.", Momo summed up the reason for the meeting.

"I hope I'm not speaking out of line when I say this.. but, **why**? They don't seem to be of any trouble by helping others. We can also clearly see from the footage that this vigilante doesn't ask for a show of thanks by doing good deeds. They also haven't killed anybody, despite going up against dangerous villains.", Lemilion's argument seemed to resonate with everyone and made Izuku warmly smile in appreciation.

"While that may be true, we still must abide by the law. That's what keeps people from acting out of line with their quirks. If we let one person slide by unpunished, then everyone will start to get the idea that it's okay.", Momo explained.

 _Except for the fact that I don't have a quirk.._ , Izuku thought internally.

"Perhaps he just doesn't want to be grouped up with the new hero stereotype. Stain's ideals left a big impact in society and it's understandable for him to avoid the media or any form of payment.", Tokoyami chimed in.

"We now provide the opportunity to turn down compensation when receiving a hero license. There's no excuse for the crime of vigilantism anymore.", Momo Todoroki stood her ground.

"How do you plan on capturing them?", Mezo Shoji asked through one of his dupli-limbs. His question was meant to break up the tension between everyone's thoughts on whether or not the vigilante should be allowed to roam free. The interjection only seemed to fuel Momo's manhunt as she broke down the plan.

"Like any ordinary hero, this one will come to a cry for help. We just need to stage some sort of crime and wait for them to show up. When the vigilante comes, we'll detain them and take it from there.", Momo briefly ran through one of her many ideas.

"Th- That sounds too cruel.. Y- You sound like a v- villain trying to rope in a hero.", Izuku couldn't help but voice his concern before he instantly regretted it. "S- Sorry for speaking out of line Mrs. Todoroki.."

Momo heaved a hefty sigh, "No need to apologize, Mr. Midoriya. I suppose I can see where the moral line could be crossed in creating such a scheme. Seeing as YOU are quite the strategist and have such a gifted talent for these sorts of things, perhaps the plan could be orchestrated on _your_ end."

"Hey, that's a great idea! Izuku is the perfect choice for this!", Ochaco encouraged the decision to have her husband involved as the others nodded in agreement. Izuku had to gulp down his worry while wiping the sweat from his brow upon being given the head position of hunting.. well, HIMESELF.

"Yes, Midoriya will be able to create the best course of action.", Fumikage offered what his beak could pass off as a smile.

"Then it's decided! Senpai is the team leader!", Mineta shot from his chair.

"I- I appreciate your confidence in me.. but I'm just a teacher, and my students come first.", Izuku tried to turn down the proposal by using the class as a reason.

"So modest!", Lemilion's outburst gained a small amount of laughter from the bunch.

"Come on Izuku, this will give us more time to spend together!", Ochaco begged her husband to take the offer while clutching his arm in a pleading fashion.

Izuku glanced around the room to see everyone else waiting on his answer. "I'll think about it.", was all Midoriya could say before the meeting was concluded.

On his way out, Izuku was pulled aside by Fumikage. "It's good to see you again Midoriya."

"You too Tokoyami-San! How's Asui?", Izuku happily greeted his old friend.

"You know she likes her friends to call her Tsuyu.", Fumikage grinned. "And she's doing fine. Thank you for asking."

"So, what can I do for you?", Izuku wondered what the reason for the second ranked hero to pull him aside could be. The bird headed being seemed to shy away from the question.

"I, um, apparently my son is in your class. I was just wondering if he was excelling with his classmates.", Fumikage coyly asked.

Izuku chuckled at seeing his old friend so flustered, "He's showing a lot of promise. Verde actually discovered another part of his quirk. I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"I haven't been around as much as I would like.. it's difficult to find time at home when you're in the top ten listing.", Tokoyami sadly replied. Izuku nodded in understanding since he lived with the number four hero.

"More like the top three listing, congratulations on making it so high!", Izuku tried to lighten up the mood.

"Thank you Midoriya. While it's been nice catching up, I must be off.", Fumikage bowed politely.

"Oh, of course! Me too actually!", Izuku bowed back.. maybe too many times. "Today's a big day for the class, we're going on a field trip."

…

"WHOA, IS THIS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS?!", Jayzon Shimasu exclaimed. The comment reminded Izuku of his first time coming to the U.S.J. The entire class gawped and marveled at the extraordinary facility in a similar manner as their classmate as everyone filed in.

"Yep! It was built by the pro hero: Thirteen; believe it or not!", a newcomer announced herself. Everyone was shocked to see they couldn't place the origin of whoever spoke. "Yoohoo, over here!", the high pitched tone teased the students.

"That's enough Hagakure, quit messing with my class.", Izuku couldn't help but smirk at watching the invisible heroine play a prank on his gullible students.

"Oh, fine!", Toru Hagakure groaned in disappointment that her fun was over while pulling a jumpsuit over her body to make it more visible.

"She's invisible?!", a lot of the children exclaimed in awe.

"That's right kiddies! That's my quirk! As you can possibly imagine, I COULD use it to do great harm as a villain. None of you were able to figure it out or locate me, so imagine if I hadn't made my presence known. If I were an assassin or a spy, you'd never know I was there! That's why it's important you come here, so you can learn to use your quirk in a way to rescue others rather than to harm them.", Toru lectured the class.

"That sounds like something my dad would say..", Hikiyose grumbled.

"Because it is! He told me to give you all that little speech before we began! Did I do good, Izukun?!", the invisible heroine cheerfully turned from the class to their teacher.

Izuku couldn't help but drag the palm of his hand across his face, "Sure Hagakure, sure.."

"Izukun?", Carame snickered.

"Nagaidesu, keep it up, and that'll be detention.", the sensei warned.

"Sorry Mr. Midoriya..", Carame sulked while Obachaji giggled at the boy getting in trouble.

"Shall I take it from here?", Toru asked the green haired teacher.

"They're all yours.", Izuku smiled.

"Great! So, everyone will be paired into two groups to try out every simulation! Each disaster varies from flooding to landslides. Some will be more difficult for you to manage due to the terrain counteracting your quirks, while others will prove much easier. Either way, this will help you get used to several different environments and how to deal with them. Any questions?"

Hikiyose raised her hand, much to her father's surprise. Toru granted her permission to ask something.

"Did my dad tell you to say that too?"

Toru giggled, "Yep! You know him so well!"

"Why didn't _he_ just say it then?!", Yuoro shouted.

"That's what **I** said!", Hagakure agreed.

"I CAN'T BE THE ONLY TEACHER HERE! BETWEEN YOU AND MINETA, I SWEAR-", Izuku cut his rant short purposefully.

"Wait, go on, I wanna know what you swear.", Toru teased. Izuku held up his hand to keep her from speaking while taking a few steps away from the class.

"Everyone stay back.. something doesn't feel right..", Midoriya suddenly became serious and cautionary with the invisible heroine. The green haired man narrowed his eyes as he noticed something in the air, a purple mist blowing from the exhaust. Though it was barely noticeable at first, it gave off a strange aroma that Izuku picked up after his nose adjusted to the environment. His senses started giving out as he tried to identify it, confirming the fog was a liability. "Get out of here!", his warning went unheard as a roaring blue fireball railed into him.

"DAD!", Hikiyose cried out to her father who had been blasted into one of the simulation zones.

"SENSEI!", students began to panic as a man approached them while being completely engulfed in blue flames. "Is this part of the simulation?!", some hoped. "Is that a real villain?!", others wondered.

"Ev- Everybody ru- run..", the invisible heroine's clothes began to slump as her voice slurred. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason was the gas that their sensei pointed out. Its effects slowly brought the teacher down and began filtering into the class.

"Ah, little Iris. To see you all grown up warms my heart.", the burning man placed a hand over his chest as it singed. The white haired girl staggered before falling victim to the toxin like the rest of her class.

"You.. know my name?", the young Todoroki panted out as she felt her consciousness fading.

"Of course! We're relatives after all.. just call me **Uncle Dabi**.", the man leaned in with a grin.

" **GET AWAY FROM THE GIRL!** ", a clad green figure suddenly jumped into the fray and sent Dabi spiraling with an extended kick. Everyone immediately recognized him as the vigilante from the news as he dodged and evaded streams of fire like a living shadow. It was the last thing Class 1-A saw before falling to the toxin.

"Ah, the vigilante. I was wondering when we'd end up crossing paths. Never did I imagine it'd be HERE of all places!", Dabi continued blasting a barrage of flames while he spoke.

Izuku began to realize how big of a mistake he made as he took cover. The arrival of a vigilante in such a securely guarded U.A facility would raise some suspicions. However, it didn't come to cross his mind until now as he focused on rescuing the students. After being doused in flames, his clothes burned and forced him to return wearing the suit he kept on underneath. Thanks to the air filter in his mask, he didn't succumb to the gas Dabi used to infiltrate the U.S.J. It all reminded Izuku of the attacks he had been through during his time at U.A. Villains coming into the simulation joint and later attacking during training with the Wild Wild Pussycats. The second attack involved a purple gas as well.. it must be from the same villain, considering the burning man before him was also familiar.

" **Wherever I'm needed is where you'll find me!** ", Izuku ignored the searing as he charged Dabi with arms pulled up as a shield. The vigilante's fist collided with his opponent, dealing damage to both fighters due to Dabi's body being covered in flames. Parts of the green costume were completely withered away and left nothing but a slur of black scarring & equally as dark blood.

"And what if you're no longer needed?", Dabi used his sleeve to wipe the blood leaking down his chin.

Izuku was shocked to then receive a knife to his calf. The vigilante looked back to see nobody there. _Could it be? Toru?_ , Midoriya's thoughts were counteracted when he saw a gray goop appear out of thin air. A naked blonde crawled out of it while laughing maniacally. " **Toga!** ", Izuku dodged another knife slash from the new challenger and promptly twisted it free from her grasp.

"Have me met before?", Himiko asked in a sing-song fashion upon hearing the vigilante call her name out.

" **Doesn't matter.** ", Izuku answered bluntly while nailing her with a kick.

"How could you? You hit a woman!", Toga pretended to tremble.

" **No. I hit a** **criminal** **.** ", the vigilante corrected his opponent.

Before the two could continue fighting, Dabi intervened by spraying the do-gooder with a stream of fire. "Dammit. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was going to be an easy and simple extraction."

"It may not be part of the plan, but we can still spill a little blood!", Himiko excitedly brandished another knife.

"No.. come on, let's retreat.", Dabi ordered the girl to fall back.

"Aaww, you're no fun..", Toga pouted.

Meanwhile, the vigilante nursed his wounds from a hidden corner. He was relieved to hear the villains giving up, but still wouldn't allow himself to succumb to unconsciousness. If the pro heroes or other teachers arrived while he was still in his suit, then that would be the end of his crusade and life. Using the last bit of his stamina, Izuku forced himself out of the building and into an alley. The injured vigilante collapsed against a pile of garbage bags, finally giving in to the loss of blood. He wasn't aware of the civilian throwing out their trash who had witnessed the entire thing.

The media was once again in a frenzy as U.A refused to share any information about the villain attack. Students involved were sent home after ensuring no harm had come to them and a full scale investigation had been launched on finding Toru Hagakure & Izuku Midoriya. The concern over two teachers going missing brought together another meeting of heroes.

"We've got to find my husband!", Ochaco Midoriya was on the brink of tears.

"Don't worry Mrs. Midoriya, we'll do everything in our power.", Momo reassured the fellow hero.

"Do you think that's what the villains were after? Our teachers?", Lemilion wondered.

"I doubt it. While I don't see what they would want with them to begin with, we mustn't forget Midoriya is quirkless. Despite his talents, they would have no use for him.", Fumikage reasoned.

"Tokoyami is unfortunately correct.", everyone turned to the voiced arrival of the number one hero.

"Todoroki!", mostly everyone exclaimed and murmured.

"The villain that attacked the U.S.J is called Dabi.. he's also _my brother_.", Shoto explained.

"Sh- Shoto..", Momo felt bad for her husband as he woefully shared the unsavory details.

"Like the first U.S.J incident, I believe this was some sort of staged scenario to draw me out. He wants nothing more than to kill the new symbol of peace. It's only a bonus for him that it's me."

"So.. you don't think he could have been after one of the students?", Shoji interjected.

"That thought HAS crossed my mind.. Do you think he wanted Iris?", Momo worried.

"Before we try to figure that out, we should probably address another problem. Don't you find it odd that they knew exactly when and how to infiltrate the U.S.J? Unlike _our_ school year, there was no sort of distraction for someone to get in U.A and obtain necessary information.", Fumikage Tokoyami narrowed his eyes as he singled out everyone in the room.

Nearly all eyes turned to Mineta, "Wh- What are you saying?"

"I believe there's a traitor among us."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER FIVE**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **I know what you're saying.. "DIDN'T YOU ALREADY DO A TRAITOR THING IN HAVE FEAR? ISN'T THE TRAITOR THING BASICALLY LIKE THE SHOW/MANAGA?" Well, that's one way to see it. When you discover the identity of the traitor and everything gets explained, you'll fully understand and see why it is necessary.**_

 _ **Also, were you shocked to discover Dabi's relation to the Todorokis? I'm a big fan and supporter of that theory so I just HAD to incorporate it.**_

 _ **Don't forget, someone found Izuku's mangled body and knows his secret now.. wonder who it could be?**_

 _ **ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Jadegem02: Hope the chapter lived up to your expectations! I was having a hard time figuring out how I was going to approach it. I didn't want to reveal the traitor too early, but it seemed like the perfect scenario. I didn't even plan to have Izuku suit up! I'm happy someone likes Jikei-dan, it's growing on me too. As for people discovering his identity.. well, the first to know will be revealed next chapter.**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: I don't think Izuku was actually expecting her to break her own arm, he was just trying to get her to submit! Still, paid off in the end! Get em a 'Best Dad' mug!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Yeaahh, I kinda threw Mineta in there for that reason. Thought it'd be funny to play with.. As for Ojiro, you'll know what he's been up to soon enough.**_

 _ **Kike05play: I think that means 10 out of 10 rating, to which I say thanks!**_

 _ **Ahh, I love reading reviews.. by the way, I discovered I can see views on chapters individually the other day. I was shocked to see the view count go down drastically.. which makes me have to wonder what I did wrong. Tell me what you guys like and dislike so I can keep your interest and/or fix things!**_

 _ **Sorry for the shorter chapter this time around, but as you can tell, things are starting to heat up! Hopefully you all have a lot to look forward to next time around!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	6. Allies

Slowly stirring, Izuku Midoriya regained consciousness despite his body's pained protest. The injuries he had inflicted from his most recent outing as the vigilante left his burns feeling numb. Every movement was enough to set him back, almost making Izuku feel paralyzed. He began considering that was a possibility, since he felt the ability to lift his arms & legs rather restricted. It took a while for his senses to return, allowing Izuku to discover the reason why. Midoriya pulled and yanked at the restraints around his wrists & ankles. Somebody had tied him down after the villain attack, and it made him panic that it could be the criminals themselves who are responsible. If it were the heroes who came to his rescue instead, he was still in a bad position. Somebody had captured him..

Izuku strained his neck to see if he could recognize his surroundings. The location resembled that of a windowless basement with clutter buildup that would make a hoarder look clean. Tables covered in trinkets and piles of scrap metal were everywhere, making Izuku believe the place was a perfect villain hideout. The struggle against his bonds increased at the thought of being taken captive by criminals. In the midst of exerting himself, Midoriya took notice of his bare chest covered in bandages. Gauze and other medical supplies were clumped together beside his makeshift mattress. In the pile, was also his tattered green suit.

Izuku wondered what kind of villains would patch him up, but any sort of relief was short lived as he realized his costume had been removed. Midoriya couldn't even reach up to his face to see if the mask still remained, but assumed it was off. His eyes drifted back to the sloppy patchwork, whoever tended to him did a terrible job. However, in comparison to the freestyle stapled leg wound, it may as well be a professional's work. Regardless of the crisis, the same person that captured him also saved his life. Speak of the devil, and they shall appear.. Midoriya shot a glance in the direction of someone else's presence.

Izuku held his breath upon hearing footsteps heading his way. His immediate instinct was to close his eyes and pretend to still be comatose. The person must have not noticed he was awake earlier as they began to undo the straps around his limbs. Izuku felt the delicate touch and listened closely to a woman's breathing, making him deduce the culprit is a female. Midoriya felt his heart speed up upon thinking about being at Himiko Toga's mercy, there was no telling what the haematolagniac would do. Upon having freedom bestowed, Izuku shot up and aimed for where he thought her neck would be so he could choke her out. Midoriya was surprised to grab onto something firm yet very squishy.

"I guess that's one way to thank me!", a pink haired woman didn't seem bothered that Izuku was squeezing one of her boobs. Midoriya on the other hand, went into a full on panic attack as he recoiled from the accidental groping. He stared at the palm like it was covered in a victim's blood, completely horrified of what had just occurred.

"I- I h- have a w- wife, I didn't me- mean to do that! I sh- shouldn't, we c- can't!", Izuku began muttering out apologies at a inconsistent rate. Midoriya lost complete sense of where he was and what had led to this moment as he shuddered in embarrassment. The pink haired woman burst out laughing at witnessing the man's flustered reaction.

"It's fine! I have a boyfriend, so we're sorta in the same boat!", her reassurance didn't help make the situation any less awkward. "Ya know, I didn't expect the Hosu Vigilante to be such a stammering mess.", she reminded Izuku of his current predicament. The green haired man instinctively touched his face to feel for any sort of fabric, finding that there was none. "I kinda HAD to remove the mask. Don't worry though, I don't recognize you for the life of me. That being the case, what do I call you?"

Izuku gulped back at any prior anxiety as he witnessed how laid back & casual the woman was acting. His impulsive answer would have been his actual name, but he still wasn't sure of who she was nor why she helped him. Midoriya started mulling over fake aliases and started to panic when he could only think of his friend's names. Running out of time to give a response, he shouted out the first thing that came to mind, "Deku!". Izuku internally kicked himself for choosing his childhood nickname. Memories of constant bullying from his peers for being quirkless overtook him. One of his former friends had come up with the nickname 'Deku' to tease him for being 'worthless'. It'd been nearly a decade since he last thought of, let alone _heard_ the insult.

"And I'm Mei Hatsume! At your service!", the pink haired woman grinned. She resembled that of a mechanic, which would explain all of the parts strewed around. A greasy black tank top matched her baggy cargo pants. A dark blue sweatshirt was wrapped around her waist and equally as filthy. What stood out most about her was the pair of welding goggles atop her head. Izuku immediately realized they were meant for her unique eyes. The yellow tint went nicely with her crosshair pupils, they looked like a targeting system personified.

"Um, thank you Hatsume. I have to ask though.. why did you help me?", Midoriya had far too many questions for the mechanic as his curiosity began to peak.

"After seeing what you did on the news, why wouldn't I?", Mei was referencing all of the heroic deeds recorded by the media.

"Fair enough.. You DO realize I'm still technically a fugitive though, right?", Izuku nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not in my eyes! Trust me when I say they can see pretty clearly! A vigilante and villain shouldn't be compared like that. One saves people and the other harms them. Simple as that.", Hatsume explained her reasoning.

"I appreciate that. I guess that's also why you didn't take me to the hospital.", Midoriya began to comprehend what had happened.

"Oh, I was going to after seeing how badly hurt you were. YOU told me not to and took a swing at me, nearly cracked my jaw too!", Mei corrected Izuku.

"Oh shi- Sorry!", Midoriya immediately apologized for unconsciously lashing out. His face flushed red as he thought about the horrible impression he already made. "G- Guess that explains why you tied me down though..", Izuku nervously chuckled as he tried to make light of the situation.

"Yep! _That's_ why!", Hatsume winked suggestively. Izuku gulped again as he hoped she was only joking. "SOO.. Deku. Are you gonna tell me what your quirk is or what?", Mei became giddy as she eagerly awaited his answer.

Midoriya flinched at the sentence, insulted by both the nickname and suggestion that he had a quirk. He didn't blame the mechanic though, he had told her to call him Deku & most of society were born with quirks. The question had become a common one in most people's greetings. Izuku began to scramble internally as he thought about how to answer Hatsume. Thoughts crossed his mind to give her a fake quirk explanation, but then worried she'd ask him to demonstrate. In the end, he ended up telling her the truth. "I'm quirkless."

Most people reserved one of three reactions when Izuku shared this information. He would often be given a pity party as the person offered some sympathy or get shunned with a simple 'oh..', which said everything all on its own. The third response diminished with age, but he would occasionally be teased and picked on for having nothing. However, Midoriya never received _praise_ for not having a quirk. His heart fluttered like butterflies escaping his stomach when Hatsume complimented him. "You're telling me you do all that with no quirk?! That's incredibly impressive, how are you able to even keep up with others in fights?! That means those super hunky jacked abs are all natural from working out!? That means you're the first quirkless hero – um, vigilante technically, but you get what I mean! It's a big deal!", she continued idolizing him.

Izuku had to fight back tears as he bowed to show his appreciation. "Thank you, Hatsume.."

"So how do you do it?! Fighting criminals without a quirk, I mean, do you use gadgets?", Mei wondered.

"Uhh, I have some last resort items like smoke pellets and stuff..", Izuku nervously rubbed his injured arm. He had never discussed his vigilantism acts with anyone, so it was all very new and embarrassing for him. "I mostly rely on techniques I learned from-", Midoriya caught himself and prevented mentioning any names that the mechanic may recognize. _Aizawa-Sensei showed me most of what I know, I have_ _ **him**_ _to thank the most. My internship with Edgeshot also helped a great deal. I also can't forget Ojiro and his sparring practice after class in exchange for tutoring._ , Izuku smiled as he reminisced the past.

"Wow, you're murmuring pretty fast. Sounds like a lot, so I won't ask you to repeat it all.", Mei broke Midoriya out of the trance and made him blush upon realizing he started muttering some of it aloud. "Either way, I think you could use a little help from my babies!", Hatsume's exclamation nearly made Izuku fall over in surprise.

"Babies?!", Izuku wondered what she meant as he yelled back.

"Oh, you're going to love them! Who wouldn't?! The inventions are right this way!", Mei began to usher Midoriya through the basement that started looking more and more like a garage. Izuku's rapid heartbeat began to slow down as he realized her 'babies' were just inventions. "Some of my stuff may be able to help you out in the field when you're fighting bad guys!"

Izuku was about to politely turn down her offer until his eyes caught sight of something in particular. "Is that a jetpack?! It looks just like the one Air Jet used!", he marveled at the gadget as fond memories came back over idolizing pro heroes.

"Made to be an exact replica! You like it, you want it?!", Mei seemed to be just as big a fan girl as Izuku was a fan boy.

Midoriya had to restrict himself from snatching it up right away, "I.. don't think it'll work with my form of mobility.", he regretfully sighed.

The refusal didn't seem to phase Hatsume as she pulled the vigilante towards another rack of equipment. "Then maybe something over here will peak your interest! I've got stuff ranging from Hover Soles to Wire Arrows! You can glide or create a tightrope!"

Izuku picked up a few of the trinkets to estimate their weight and see if they would slow him down or not. Size and proportion was also a factor when it came to fitting them inside his belt. Equipping certain items had to be kept at a minimum and chosen wisely. The vigilante and inventor seemed to both enjoy themselves as they toured the creations and tested them out. "If you really don't mind, I would like to borrow a few of your.. uh, 'babies'. Is that okay Hatsume?", Izuku asked.

"Borrow? Hell, you can _keep_ them! Ya know what, I'll even create some more for ya while we're at it! I'll be like your private gadget provider, just let me know what you want and I'll whip it up!", Mei was getting a little ahead of herself with the offer.

"Th- Thanks, but you won't have to. This is probably the last you'll see of me. I don't want you to get in trouble if I'm ever caught, for like, aiding a fugitive or something..", Izuku murmured.

"Are you kidding?! This is a dream come true! I get to finally invent things for a hero! Please Deku, this means a lot to me.. the pros never accepted me due to some of my babies malfunctioning, and I never got to live out my dream..", Mei's confession touched Izuku's heart as he thought about his own passion and how he never managed to achieve it either. "Besides, you're going to need a need suit with that one turned into ash!", Hatsume added.

Midoriya sighed in defeat, "Fine.. But there's going to be a few rules in our partnership to keep you safe. First one is obvious, don't tell anyone about me. You can't share details about my face or repeat my name to ANYBODY. It'll not only put YOU in danger.. but people that I care about too.."

"It's a deal!", Mei forced Izuku into a tight hug. He wiggled in her grasp as he felt the massive bosom pressed against his chest.

"An- And no more close interactions like this! I've got a wife, remember?!"

…

Ochaco Midoriya and her daughter held onto one another as they watched a television show from the couch. Hikiyose passed out with tears still streaming down her face. Ochaco's heart clenched as she thought about how much it must hurt to have lost her father. Hikiyose had always wanted her mother home, but she never expected that to have one parent, she would have to swap out the other. Ochaco felt water welling up in her eyes again as she thought about the disappearance of her husband. It had only been two days, and it already felt like their entire lives were flipped upside down. U.A gave its students a temporary break as they searched Japan for the lost teacher. Uravity made no official statements or appearances after the incident, electing to take care of her already mourning daughter. The two tried not to assume the worst, but Ochaco couldn't help but worry about her quirkless lover at the hands of powerful villains.

The sound of their doorbell ringing made both girls immediately snap awake and jump from the couch. It would quite often be a detective or pro hero informing them of case updates, but the two shared the fantasy that some day, Izuku Midoriya would be standing in the doorway instead. They cried their eyes out as they made sure they weren't dreaming by pinching themselves. That night, their dream became a reality as Izuku finally came home. Everyone embraced eachother as they all sobbed in joy.

It took a while, but everybody eventually settled down. Izuku took a much needed shower while Ochaco informed the authorities of his return. The green haired man watched as blood sloshed down the drain, pieces of his burned skin ripping off like scabs. He didn't bother putting on fresh bandages when he was finished washing off, since he planned to use the scars as part of his excuse. The family gathered with cups of tea while still embracing one another. It wasn't long until principal Momo Todoroki and her husband arrived with the lead detective of the case. Izuku and Shoto shook hands upon seeing one another after so long.

"Midoriya.", Shoto nodded with a small smile as he kept a formal greeting.

"You're in our home Todoroki, please, call me Izuku."

"In that case, you can address me as Shoto."

The two were interrupted by Momo clearing her throat. Both men's wives gave them glares for postponing a serious conversation, leaving the boys to glance at eachother in worry. The two apologized and bowed before taking a seat to discuss important case details.

"I suppose we'll begin with the obvious question. Where were you in the time of your absence Mr. Midoriya?", the detective started.

"Th- The last thing I remember was being overtaken by the villains. I can clearly identify two presences, one was Himiko Toga and the other.. Dabi Todoroki.", Izuku glanced in the direction of his friends as he mentioned their evil relative. "They held me captive for a short while until I finally managed to escape..", that part was a lie.

"Did they tell you why? Perhaps what they wanted?", the detective pressed.

Izuku recalled something Dabi said during the infiltration. _"This was supposed to be a simple extraction."_ The secret vigilante heaved a heavy sigh, "They were after someone other than me, but settled with what they got."

"Do you know who they were originally trying to capture?", the detective wondered.

"I think my wife and I already know the answer to that question, detective. Our daughter has been awfully quiet since the attack, refusing to say anything whenever she isn't reclusive in her room. I fully believe Dabi wanted to kidnap our daughter with the intention to use her as a hostage as a means to lure me out.", Shoto chimed in.

"Can you confirm this theory?", the detective kept his focus on Izuku.

"It seems the most plausible."

"Are you done drilling my husband with questions now?", Ochaco was beginning to get upset with the detective.

"One more. What did they do with you in your time of captivity?"

Izuku huffed out another exasperated sigh as he stood up. "Hikiyose, go to your room. I don't want you to see this.. Ochaco, could you please take her?"

"Whatever it is, I want to be apart of it. Hikiyose dear, we'll be up to say goodnight in a minute."

Begrudgingly, Hikiyose stomped out of the living room. However, she didn't go to her bedroom. The green haired girl hid around the corner, peeking from the side and listening in to see what her father didn't want her to. She instantly regretted her decision when Izuku lifted up his shirt. Ochaco and Momo covered their mouths to contain shocked gasps of sympathy, trying to keep back tears. His entire backside had been cleared of flesh, leaving bulging muscle fiber in its place. To them, it looked like a horrific result from torture, while in reality; it was from the runaway bus incident. A deformed scar that would never heal properly embedded itself in Izuku's side. Everyone assumed it was from Toga carving into him, while it truly served as a reminder from the alleyway fight. The only scrape that existed from Himiko was the one in the back of his calf, a part of her surprise attack in the U.S.J. Several burns and bruises shrouded his chest and abs, some recent and some from the bank heist intervention.

"They decided to toy with me..", Izuku mustered out a lie to provide the perfect cover up for his injuries. He lifted up one of his pants legs to show the knife wound he had given to himself to snap out of Shinso's mind control.

"Oh Izuku..", Ochaco ran into her husband, cradling him in her arms as she wept.

"You went through all that suffering to protect our children?", Momo referred to the students in his class and her very own daughter.

"Yes, I would give up my life for them.", Izuku spoke the truth that time.

Hikiyose ran to her room as she tried wiping away tears. The Todorokis joined in the hug as the detective showed himself out.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice and at such a late hour.", Ochaco pulled Momo aside.

"It's the least we could do.", Momo waved it off as a simple gesture.

"Ochaco is right, ya know. It was really nice of you to come by Shoto.", Izuku flashed his usually genuine smile.

"I'm glad you're okay.", was all the half & half hero offered as a response. "I do have a favor to ask of you.. Iris won't speak to me because I'm barely around and she refuses to talk to Momo since she's her principal. Maybe you'll have a better chance at getting through to her.. you've always had a way with children."

"I'll pull her aside after class tomorrow to let her know.", Izuku bowed.

"Thank you Mi-, Izuku.", Shoto returned the gesture.

"I'll see them out. Izuku, I'm sure Hikiyose would like you to tuck her in.", Ochaco chimed in.

And they did just that. However, Izuku wasn't expecting his daughter to be crying when he entered her room. The father rushed to the edge of her bed, "Hikiyose! What's wrong?!"

She instantly hugged him, but it felt aggressive. "What you said to Principal Todoroki, I don't want to lose you again dad!", she sobbed into his chest.

"Oh.. You don't have to worry about that. I'm tougher than I look.", Izuku tried joking to cheer her up.

"Dad.. promise me you won't let the bad guys kill you..", Hikiyose hiccuped.

Izuku felt his heart clench as he thought about his alter ego. His nightly ventures put him in danger more than his career at U.A ever could. The destroyed costume was rendered completely useless, leaving his new partner to create something else. It had been a decent stretch of time without sightings of the vigilante, while he had the perfect alibi for already received injuries. If Izuku were to quit his crusade, now would be the perfect time. His daughter was asking it of him, sharing the same concern Ochaco gave in her grimace. The decision was a difficult one, his face was half shrouded in darkness as he turned away to ponder it all. He had a choice to make..

"I promise.", Izuku made a vow he didn't know if he could keep.

…

The next time Class 1-A gathered for school was hectic to say the least. They were ecstatic about the return of their teacher and couldn't stop discussing the villain attack. They weren't expecting another bombshell to be dropped so soon, so Izuku withheld some more enticing news for the time being. In the meantime, he blushed and Hikiyose groaned at all the attention her father was receiving. Even Mineta swung by the classroom to welcome back his 'senpai'. When everyone finally settled down, Izuku began his first lesson for the day.

"After last time's incident, I decided to postpone what would have been today's subject. Instead, I find it important to share some key information on how to fight a villain. With all of us disposed of, the enemy could have killed everyone. It opened my eyes to how unprepared all of you really are.", Izuku made the announcement. Some students cheered while others groaned.

"Are you gonna show us how you escaped?", Jayzon Shimasu wondered with a raised hand.

"Uh, no.. Rather, like I said, I'm going to give you some pointers we can all try out in the gym later.", Izuku rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Ah man..", Jayzon sulked.

"Trust me, this is valuable information. For starters, most people aim for the head when fighting. DON'T do this, hitting them in the face won't do anything but make your opponent angry. Try punching them in the gut or the chest, some place that'll knock the wind out of them.", Hikiyose rolled her eyes at what her father was saying. It was all stuff that he already told, showed, and taught her. She was happy to see him back and teaching with such a vibrant attitude though.

The rest of Class 1-A's first period went on with helpful pointers such as this. Izuku covered fighting larger opponents and using their own weight against them. He presented evasive maneuvers and catered to giving advice with every student on how to use their quirk to improve their particular counter measure. Blocking and foreseeing attacks seemed the most difficult to explain and took up the remaining time. When the lunch bell rang, nearly everyone was eager to go eat.

Iris Todoroki had been awfully dazed during the lessons, concerning her sensei. Izuku was about to speak with her when he was beat to it by Kasai. The teacher and his student were both surprised to see him approach her.

"Hey Todoroki, wanna eat lunch together?", Kasai kept up the bored & uninterested act as he spoke.

"Uh, actually, maybe next time. Sorry to interrupt kids, but I was hoping to speak with you during lunch, Todoroki.", Izuku stepped in.

"Oh.. I'm sorry sensei. Sure, what do you wanna talk about?", Iris wondered.

"It may be a little personal for you, so maybe we should let Kasai run along.", Izuku said. The teen grunted in response before walking off. Iris and her teacher were now alone to speak. "Your mother and father spoke with me the other day. They told me you were being reclusive around the house and I couldn't help but notice that's been rubbing off on you in class. Mind if I ask what's wrong?"

Iris struggled to not break down while she replied, "The guy covered in blue fire.. he told me we were related."

Izuku felt a lump in his throat as he realized Momo & Shoto must have not shared any information about Dabi. Midoriya forced himself to swallow it down along with any response he could have conjured up explaining the relation. That talk was meant for them when they were ready. Izuku decided he'd share this information with Momo, but that would be all. "I see. There's no telling if he was lying or being honest. It's something we can look into."

"That's not all! I.. I know U.A said the attack was thwarted by the arrival of other teachers.. but I thought I saw that vigilante from the news.", Iris added. Izuku felt the lump return as he realized she must have seen him before blacking out. Yuuei had told the students and media a lie that would serve the greater good. Everyone believed the villains were warded off by pros to keep up their reputation and help reserve panic. When it came to the truth, Momo told the board to cover it up so nobody would start agreeing with the vigilantism cause. As far as anyone was concerned, the Hosu vigilante was never there.

"That's.. you should keep that confidential.", Izuku had a hard time coughing up a response.

"But he saved my life! Shouldn't _he_ be the one getting the credit?", Iris argued.

"I don't think that's necessary, heroes aren't supposed to seek a show of thanks like that. Their actions should come from the good of their hearts.", Izuku reassured the girl with a smile.

"I just want him to know how grateful I am. If he hadn't shown up when he did..", Iris choked on her own words as she felt tears flowing.

"I think he already knows.", Izuku pulled the young Todoroki into a hug.

…

When lunch had ended, Class 1-A returned to hear their teacher's announcement. Everyone whispered among themselves in anticipation as they tried to figure out what it could be.

"Today's opening lesson wasn't just pertaining to the villain attack. I hope it helps you in preparation for the upcoming Sports Festival you'll all be attending."

The class went into a crazed frenzy, some excited and others worried.

"Wow, all the heroes will be watching US!"

"But we were set back a few days because of the U.S.J incident.."

"I'm gonna come first in every competition!"

Izuku smiled as he listened to the commotion, it reminded him of _his_ younger days. "You all have less than a week to get ready. That's why we're going to the gym to practice what I told you this morning. I want to cover frequent lessons like that until the festival. I also encourage you to practice at home on your own accord.", Izuku looked at his daughter who groaned in response to being given MORE training.

"We'll be given the potential to intern under pro heroes since there will be scouts watching, correct?", Verde Tokoyami interjected.

"Right you are! I encourage you to give it your all, think of this as your big debut. This event happens once a year, so you've got three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, this is something you can't pass up.", Izuku only filled everyone with anxiety during his attempt to hype them up.

"I didn't realize this was such a big deal..", Carame Nagaidesu sulked.

"Of course it is, you idiot! It's literally the world's biggest event!", Obachaji Kaminari whacked the boy over his head with one of her ear jacks.

"Hey sensei, are you able to tell us what kind of events we'll be doing?", Yuoro finally spoke up.

"Well, that's hard to say.. they change them nearly every time. What I experienced could be completely different from what you will. Some events pitted everyone against each other while others required team work. I suggest forging a study group to practice with just in case. You'll need four people at the least.", Izuku recommended.

The class thanked their teacher by bowing before they started their first day of real training.

…

After the school day ended, everyone piled outside and started forming teams. Verde Tokoyami was about to partner with Hikiyose Midoriya until a flock of girls pulled her away. Yuoro Akauna and Hamina Sero dragged her towards Iris Todoroki who seemed stuck in her own frame of thought.

"Hey Iris, wanna team with us!?", Hamina kept a cheerful tone as she tried recruiting their last member.

"Oh, um, I don't know.. why don't you all ask Kaminari?", Todoroki bashfully wondered.

"We would, but her quirk isn't as powerful as yours.", Yuoro spoke up.

"Hey! That's not fair! I don't have a quirk at all, so where does this that leave _me_?", Hikiyose fumed.

"Th- That's not what I meant!", Akauna backed away with frantic hand motions.

"What Akauna meant to say, was that you're really strong and cool!", Hamina shouted.

"Jeez, I appreciate the offer.. but I think I'm gonna go ask Kasai if he wants to partner up instead.", Iris rubbed her arm nervously.

"EH?!"

"HUH?!"

Most of the class had avoided teaming with him since they were all too scared. Since he had been left alone and the two tried to work together before, Iris figured she'd give it a shot.

"Ya know what, I'm with Iris! If you'll have me..", Hikiyose announced. The other girls wouldn't be able to pick their jaws off the floor after the double whammy.

"Sure, I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.", Todoroki and Midoriya ventured off.

"My best friend just ditched me!", Yuoro shouted.

"Guess we gotta ask Kaminari now..", Hamina sighed.

"Knowing her, she probably already partnered with Nagaidesu out of pity..", Akauna complained.

Meanwhile, Iris and Hikiyose continued walking side by side in the direction they saw Kasai go in. The two girls strolled in silence for a while, Todoroki trying to work up the nerve while Midoriya wondered what she wanted to say. After a bit, Iris stopped mid stride and caused Hikiyose to turn around in surprise.

"Wh- What is it Todoroki?"

"Midoriya.. what do you think of the Hosu Vigilante?"

Hikiyose gasped, she wondered why Iris Todoroki would ask her such a question. "I think he needs a better name than _that_..", she joked with an awkward chuckle that mimicked her father's perfectly.

"I'm being serious!", Iris shouted back despite a small giggle.

"Me too! I've been seeing some suggestions on websites lately, I think the media is going to decide on-"

"So you researched him too, huh?", Todoroki grinned. Hikiyose's face flushed red in embarrassment upon being called out.

"Wait, you said _too_! That means you looked him up!", Hikiyose teased back.

Iris felt a blush creeping up on her and had to use her quirk to cool it off. "Uhh.. yeah, I hope you don't discredit me for it, but I find him really cool."

"Discredit you? Are you kidding me? I think he's awesome too!"

"Really?! I just thought.. I dunno, my parents seem to really dislike the vigilante because of the law against them, so I just figured you would too..", Iris mumbled like she was part of the Midoriya family.

"Yeah, my mom and dad would probably freak out on me if they found out. It's just.. I agree with something I heard on the radio. He's doing good with what he can, maybe he didn't manage to get a license and this is how he continues to help. My dad didn't get his because he's quirkless, which makes me worry that I won't get mine. If I don't get it.. then does that mean I shouldn't be a hero? This vigilante inspires me to keep trying regardless, ya know..", Hikiyose opened up her emotions like a can of worms.

Iris nodded her head, taking in what her new friend said and understanding it completely. "I agree with you on that one, even though I never really thought of it that way myself. I didn't really think much of it until recently.. when the villains attacked us at the U.S.J.. I could've sworn I saw him. The teachers say differently, but I know what I saw! He saved me."

"You think.. you think the vigilante was there?!", Hikiyose gawped.

"I KNOW he was.. and I intend to find him so we can meet again. I want to thank him for saving me and.. just know WHY he did it. I want to understand.. he seems like the kind of hero that I want to be when I grow up.", Iris Todoroki declared.

"Wow Todoroki, I never would have thought.. I mean, your dad is the number one hero and all.. So why did you come to **me** about this?", Hikiyose wondered.

"Whenever someone would bring it up in class, you were always either silent or held a different opinion. I just thought you would be the best person to talk to first.. to see if you would be interested in tagging along."

"I think you already know the answer, I'm in!", Hikiyose smiled.

"Glad to hear it!", Iris smiled back.

"So.. is that the real reason why you wanted to go look for Kasai? He never really said anything about it either.. actually, he never says much anyways.."

Iris giggled at the statement. "Yeah, that's partially why. I **do** want to work you both still."

"Then let's go find him and form our team! Together.. we'll find the vigilante!"

…

 _ **END CHAPTER SIX**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Ayy, a somewhat 'extra long' chapter for ya this time! Not really by much, but..**_

 _ **Say it with me – ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Whoa, a big review! I appreciate that! You actually had to break into paragraphs and everything! Pertaining to the the Dabi being a Todoroki bit, I love it too, and I still want to believe it despite the recent events in the manga. I mean.. Endeavor's vision was blurry, sooo.. As for the All For One being Izuku's father theory, I feel like that one is less likely, but I wouldn't mind it if it means we get some sort of villain Deku storyline. I personally don't care much for it and won't be incorporating that, but to each their own! As for what you pointed out about Froppy's name, that actually went completely over my head at the time. I thought it'd be a cute little joke, so maybe just think of it as two old friends messing around? I dunno! My mistake! As for Izuku's close calls, you'll come to discover that was NOTHING compared to others he'll be receiving in the future. Last but not least, you were pretty much spot on guessing his rescuer! I had such a thing in mind to cross Hatsume with Clair & Melvin, so.. you got that!**_

 _ **Speaking of which, that makes me have to ask you all.. do you want Mei to alter his costume a lot or a little bit? Should she keep it the same with extra armor? Lemme know if you have any particular design ideas in mind! I can try and come up with something if you give me a detailed description. (Or even better, my dream is to receive some sort of drawing to post as the cover art.)**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: Oh yeah, Izuku is a tough cookie! He'll been on the receiving end of damage much worse than this later down the line!**_

 _ **Jadegem02: I'm super happy you were pleased with the previous chapter and its events! I was actually really worried that people wouldn't find it any good, so you cheered me up! It's also my pleasure to read & reply to your review, it may very well be my favorite part! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations and hope to read another reaction from you next time!**_

 _ **I'm trying my hardest here to get you all typing and sharing your thoughts! It makes me happier and motivated more than anything, so please don't be shy! Here's some incentive, I need some help deciding what to write for next time. Do you want me to do a time skip and just dive into the Sports Festival? Or would you all rather have one chapter in between covering some training and Izuku having to work without a costume? Lemme know so I can get started!**_

 _ **That being said.. no comments about there being a traitor or any theories on who it may be? Know what, that may be a good thing, I wouldn't want any of you thinking too hard and guessing it right.**_

 _ **I GUESS THAT'S ALL FOR NOW! SO, I'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT TIME TO RAMBLE ON!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	7. Enjoying The Festivities

The crowded stadium roared with anticipation, everyone eager to see the new years and their skills. Izuku Midoriya winded his way through other spectators as he searched for a seat upfront to get a better look at the competitions. As the green haired teacher excused & pardoned himself through onlookers, he began thinking back on the week prior. His students had been excelling in class and seemed more attentive than ever. Ochaco was home more often and so was Izuku due to his suit being out of commission. The Midoriyas spent a lot of time going to movies and eating out, fully enjoying the newly given opportunity to be a family again. When they weren't goofing around, the loving parents helped train their daughter for the festival. It had been a good week's vacation.

Crime rates seemed to go back up with the disappearance of the vigilante, which bothered Izuku, but it didn't phase anyone else. Hatsume had told him his suit and gear would take a while longer to prepare. _Enjoy the festival and cheer somebody on!_ , her words echoed through his mind. Hikiyose needed that support and guidance, she would see her father applauding from the stands. Izuku noticed everyone else was doing it for their children or whoever they were rooting for. It made him snap back into reality and forget the vigilante problems for another day. From further down, he saw Ochaco waving him over with the previous Class 1-A students, or at least a good amount of them. Izuku smiled upon seeing his wife and a bunch of old friends.

"Hey everyone, I wasn't expecting to see you here!", Izuku flashed a toothy grin as he returned greetings with all the pro heroes. Denki fist bumped his bro while Kyoka offered a friendly wave. Tenya tried to contain himself by bowing respectively, but ended up giving his friend a hug. Fumikage bowed while Tsuyu crushed Izuku in a massive hug too. Shoto shook hands with the green haired teacher. "It's so good to see you all! Where's Momo?", Izuku wondered.

"She'll be making a few announcements for the festival before she joins us.", Shoto explained. Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, not once meeting a beat over the happy reunion.

"Denki and I actually have to provide commentary for the events, so we'll be seeing you all during preliminaries.", Kyoka thought that was a good cue to excuse herself along with her husband.

"I'm so excited to see how well you've taught your class, Midoriya!", Iida chopped his hands in a robotic, yet frantic motion. "You were always an excellent strategist, I have no doubt that you've created an ideal generation of heroes!", the praise from Tenya made Izuku blush.

"Indeed, I'm eager to see what Verde is capable of.", Fumikage nodded. Tsuyu leaned against the bird themed hero ribbited in agreement with her husband.

"Thanks everyone, my students won't disappoint.", Izuku finally managed to calm everyone down and get them seated. Just as the chaotic good was evened out, Mina and Hanta leaped into the fray. The pink skinned woman wrapped herself around one of Izuku's arms while Hanta draped an arm over the man's shoulders.

"Good! Those are our kids after all!", the tape dispensing hero laughed along with his wife. Both of them had a fun time teasing their former classmate turned teacher.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sero! Looks like everyone came out today!", Izuku happily welcomed the two and gestured for them to sit with everyone else.

"Where's Shoji-San and.. **Mineta**..?", Mina lost her cheerful tune for a split second to grimace over the existence of Minoru. She searched the audience with a hand cupped over her eyes like a sailor surveying his ship deck.

"Oh, the other teachers were put on patrol with some other heroes. We'll probably see them after their shift change or during preliminaries.", Izuku briefly explained. Ochaco nuzzled into her husband while he rambled on about the festival's protection policy. Tenya Iida seemed to be the only one listening intently with nods of agreement. The discussion was soon interrupted by the start of the festival.

"CAN I HAVE EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION?! It's time for U.A's Sports Festival, the one time each year when our fledgling heroes compete in a ruthless grand battle! So everyone stop causing commotion and make noise for the first years of Class 1-A instead!", Denki Kaminari's voice boomed through several speakers for everyone to hear. The crowd clapped and cheered as Izuku's students stepped out of a tunnel and into the massive field. All of them wore blue uniforms covered in a pattern of white lines to help make them stand out.

"Yeah, what he said..", Kyoka lazily played off of her husband's announcement. "But don't forget the other classes. We have B, C, D, and E of General Studies while F, G, and H come from the Support Course. Not to mention the Business Course.. quite a lot of competition right off the bat.", she added.

Class 1-A felt small compared to some of their opponents, the other classes had hulking students and insanely enhanced looking individuals. Only Hamina Sero seemed to ignore the competitors as she soaked in the crowd's cheering, waving and jumping with glee. Hikiyose felt a lump in her throat forming as she surveyed the audience for her parents. She was able to gulp down any anxious emotions upon seeing them wave to her from one of the front bleachers.

Everyone's attention then turned to the arrival of U.A's principal. Momo Todoroki was raised up on a platform before approaching the microphone attached to a podium. The applause died down as she prepared to make her speech. "Thank you all for coming out today. Providing support for the next generation of heroes goes to show how much potential you have in yourselves. That being said, I'm sure you're eager to see what we've molded these children into. To show you what kind of heroes these students are becoming, we'll be having one of our very own give the athlete's oath. My own daughter, Iris Todoroki, please do the honors.", she ushered the girl onto the stage.

"Must be because she placed first in this year's Entrance Exam..", Shuaka reasoned. The others nodded in agreement or grunted in resentment. Some people just figured it was a bias choice due to her principal being her mother and the number one pro hero being her father.

"Thank you mom, and thank YOU everyone. Without your support, none of us would be striving to be heroes.", the start of the speech touched everybody's hearts. "That's what I _would_ have said before a vigilante surfaced.", the crowd gasped and murmured. "I wondered why someone would perform heroic acts without any sort of praise. I have my teacher to thank for helping me understand a true hero doesn't seek applause.", Izuku Midoriya felt sweat drip off his forehead upon being called out through both his alter egos. A lot of the pro heroes glanced at him from the corner of their eyes. "So if you're watching out there Hosu vigilante, whoever you are.. thank you.", and that's how Iris ended her speech.

"What was _that_ about?", Shoto raised an eyebrow. He and the other parents looked to Izuku for answers as the man mumbled to himself. Ochaco shook him out of the trance, startling Izuku even further.

"Not many people know this.. but U.A teachers weren't really the ones who rescued our students. It was the Hosu vigilante. Iris apparently saw him and found out the truth.", Izuku briefly explained. Shoto lowered his head as he took in the revelation, realizing he had the man he was hunting to thank for saving his daughter. Fumikage and the others seemed to feel similar reactions, but nothing as severe since it wasn't their child that witnessed it. "She asked me why he wouldn't want the recognition and I told her that he probably just doesn't care. She must have taken it to heart.", Izuku quickly added.

Momo looked distraught as she returned to the podium. "W- Without any delay, let us begin the first event.", this seemed to return the audience to a more lively mood. Izuku gulped as he realized he would have to speak with the principal about what her daughter said. Shoto pitied his friend as he witnessed the man's facial expressions take in this revelation. "The first challenge will be _**The Obstacle Course**_!", Momo announced the first competition.

"Oh, so it's kinda like _our_ first event when we had to race one another.", Ochaco observed. However, she was instantly proven wrong when Momo explained the rules.

"Each class will be working as a team to finish the course. EVERY member must cross the finish line for it to be considered a victory. If it's even one person to fall behind or fail, everyone else shares that fate. Only two classes will be allowed to advance to the next round, and that will be whichever two place in the top spots.", the challenge proposed an advanced form of teamwork. The pressure was on for everyone as the Sports Festival officially began.

"I guess sensei was right when he said we'd be working together on a few of the events..", Jayzon let out an exasperated sigh. Shimasu was sharing the same concerns as the rest of his classmates, they were worried about falling behind and costing the rest of the team a victory.

"Which is why we trained hard to prepare for such a case. Come on everyone, we all forged small teams with tactics. All we have to do now is combine them and we can win this!", Hikiyose took charge upon seeing her partners lose spirit. Iris and Verde nodded in agreement.

"If we stay together and fend off the other teams, we should all at least pass the finish line!", Shuaka chimed in. The other students cheered after two pep talks and prepared for the first event.

"Looks like all the classes got themselves hyped up! I think the crowd is feeling it too! Let's waste no time with kicking this obstacle course off! Ready, set, GO!", Denki Kaminari provided commentary from a booth that overlooked the entire stadium. Kyoka rolled her eyes at his overly enthusiastic attitude.

And just like that, every class was scrambling for the first challenge. It was a row of hopping pads with water beneath, each student jumped across with no intentions to fall in. Whoever did got their entire team disqualified, creating a mass attack of people shoving and pushing others in. Hikiyose Midoriya gasped as she saw a burly teen swing his arm at her with the intentions to knock her out of the course. Using a maneuver that her father taught everyone, Hikiyose used the attacker's weight against himself and tossed him over her shoulder. The teen splashed down and cost his team the festival. Hikiyose smirked confidently before moving on with her own class.

At the end of the first obstacle, Hamina used her quirk to set up a blockade like caution tape in a crime scene. This would be enough to stall other classes still trying to make it across. The next challenge ended up being a climbing wall, which looked to be no problem for a few students with sticking quirks or even one with spider-like appendages. Class 1-A fell behind as others used wings to overcome the obstacle or really creative techniques. This led to some of the brighter students thinking of ways to get their own team members up.

"Pqerosu can shrink down so he can ride on someone. Everyone else needs to make room while they hitch rides with others. Tokoyami can use his tongue to grapple up like Nagaidesu and his arms. Sero can use her tape while Todoroki can make something with her ice.", Hikiyose quickly ran through some strategies. Everyone agreed before they launched the plan into action.

Shuaka used his quirk to become the size of an ant and perched himself on Hamina's shoulder. Yuoro grabbed hold and the three were off via acid tape turned grappling line. Verde took Jayzon and Hikiyose by using his tongue to slingshot them. Carame used his elastic arms as a hoist for Obachaji as Iris created a ladder out of ice. Kasai climbed it to join everyone else at the top. Izuku smiled as he watched the inventive tactics performed by his class.

The next obstacle proved far more difficult, it was just a massive pit in between them and the final challenge. Class 1-B seemed to be the only ones that found a way across while the others who were in the lead fell in or worked on coming up with a strategy to beat it. Verde Tokoyami and Hamina Sero tried firing their tongue and acid tape to use as tightropes, but neither could reach that far across. Obachaji was trying to coax Carame into sharing something until she spoke up herself.

"Nagaidesu was working with me and a few others on a team move during training that may be able to help.", Kaminari caught everyone's attention.

"Well, let's hear it!", Jayzon Shimasu eagerly shouted. He looked around frantically as everyone either caught up or surpassed Class 1-A.

"I've been working on my slingshot move.. I was able to pull it off with four partners, but I don't know if I can manage to make it with all of us.", Carame shyly explained.

"You want to fire us like a torpedo. That may be our best bet. Even if we only make it half way, Tokoyami-San and Sero-San would be able to pull the rest of us across if we held on.", Iris Todoroki suggested.

"We're running out of time, so it's worth a shot!", Shuaka shouted. The rest of Class 1-A agreed.

Carame Nagaidesu wrapped his arms around either side like two rubber bands and began pulling himself back with Class 1-A in front of him. The further he got, the closer they came to the ledge. When neither one could go any further, that was when Carame launched forward and knocked the group across the pit. The crowd stood up from their seats and roared at the sudden move, Class 1-A flew past that obstacle and nearly half of the next. Hamina and Verde stepped in as planned and pulled them forward even more, adding to the momentum. Everyone passed up other teams and avoided the maze beneath them. Just as Class 1-A made it to the finish line, the first event ended.

"And that's it! The two classes that will be moving forward are.. Class 1-B in FIRST PLACE! And Class 1-A in second!", Denki exclaimed over the intercom.

"WHAT?!", most of Class 1-A were shocked to hear another team overtook them.

"Both teams will be facing off against eachother in the next event after a short intermission.", Kyoka chimed in.

"Wow Izuku, you really taught your class some good teamwork!", Ochaco shook her husband with excitement. The other pro heroes seemed to agree despite dispersing to congratulate and speak with their children separately. "Come on, let's go see Hikiyose!", she pulled the green haired parent behind her.

"Actually Mrs. Midoriya, do you mind if your husband and I speak alone first?", Momo intercepted to the two as they were walking. Shoto and Izuku shared a glance, knowing full well what this was about.

"Okay, catch up when you can Izuku!", Ochaco said over her shoulder as she carried on.

"I'll leave you two be as I support Iris..", Shoto tried to weasel his way out before Momo grabbed the cuff of his shirt.

"You're apart of this too.", Momo growled. "What my daughter said on that podium was unacceptable."

"Honey, Midoriya already explained himself. He spoke to Iris like we wanted and she interpreted things a certain way.", Shoto tried to stand up for his friend.

"Well, I expect him to speak with her again and _fix it_.", Momo didn't let up on her attitude.

"Of course, Principal Todoroki. I'll talk to her at once.", Izuku bowed apologetically.

Momo sighed in frustration, "Very well.. that will be all for now."

Verde Tokoyami could barely breathe through his mother's embrace. "I'm so proud of you! Ribbit!", she exclaimed. Fumikage tried hiding a small smirk as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder in approval. Hikiyose giggled at the sight and doubled over when realizing Verde could blush despite his feathers.

"This is Midoriya's daughter, right?", Tsuyu took notice of the laughing girl.

"Oh! Sorry! I'm a friend of Tokoyami's.", Hikiyose immediately bowed.

"It's okay, we know your father. I'm glad you two have already been acquainted with one another.", Fumikage kept a small smirk when his son groaned.

"She's very pretty. Kero.", Tsuyu whispered in Verde's ear.

"MOOMM!", the bird teen folded his arms in annoyance.

Ochaco joined in on the teasing with Tsuyu until Izuku finally arrived.

"You all made it into the second event, you achieved to live up to everyone's expectations! Continue giving it your all out there.", Izuku addressed his entire class. A lot of the students cheered in appreciation of the speech as he made his way over to Hikiyose. "I'm proud of you too.", Izuku ruffled the girl's green hair.

"Daadd!", Hikiyose brushed him off in embarrassment.

"Now, where's young Todoroki?", Izuku asked.

"Huh?! Oh.. uh, I think she went out into the hall to wait on her parents.", Hikiyose answered. Izuku nodded in response before leaving her to celebrate with her friends and mother.

True to his daughter's word, Izuku found Iris leaning against the wall of a hallway. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be relishing in the victory with your classmates?"

"Sensei! Uh, yeah.. I was just thinking my mom and dad would come by to congratulate me..", Iris bowed in response.

"I get it, you were embarrassed the principal and number one hero would draw everyone's attention.", Izuku nodded in understanding.

"Looks like I had nothing to worry about.. they never came by..", Iris sulked.

"I'm sure they were going to, it's just that they wanted _me_ to speak with you first.", Izuku reassured the girl.

"You?", Iris cocked her head in confusion.

"It's about what you said during your speech..", Izuku cleared his throat. "Your mother found it unsatisfactory and your father-"

"If they have a problem with what I say and do, they should tell me themselves! I don't care that she's the principal and he's the number one hero, that's no excuse when they're both RIGHT HERE! So why aren't they telling me this themselves right now!?", the sudden outburst caught Izuku by surprise. Iris regained her composure and bowed in apology, "I'm sorry.. I let my emotions get the better of me for a moment.."

"Th- That's okay.. Listen, you can't really blame them so much. Both of them never really had a relationship with their parents growing up, so they wouldn't know any better raising their own. Your dad had a complicated situation and your mom had very strict parents, so it's all they understand.", Izuku tried to reason with the girl.

"I don't want to hear any excuses Mr. Midoriya, now if that's all, I have to prepare for the next event.", Iris suddenly came Izuku the cold shoulder and left him standing in the hallway. Izuku suddenly realized the Todoroki family drama was still existent and he was on thin ice when discussing it.

The entire time, Shoto Todoroki had been listening from around the corner. He hung his head and sighed upon realizing he had failed at having a relationship with his daughter. Growing up, he resented his father, and now his own kid was doing the same to him. Shoto rounded the corner to speak with Izuku about it all, "Midoriya.."

"Todoroki-San! D- Did you hear all that?!", Izuku exclaimed. Shoto only nodded in response. "I'm sorry that you're having problems with your daughter.."

"That's why I wanted to ask for your help again. You and Hikiyose seem to get along fine.. I was hoping to receive some advice on how to be there for my own daughter.", Shoto explained.

"Oh.. Todoroki, it's the same thing Ochaco had to go through at one point. She just misses you and wants you in her life, she's just angry that she doesn't have that. I know it's hard for the number one hero, but try taking a weekend off for her or something. At least do like she expected and congratulate her on the tournament.", Izuku offered a solution.

Shoto kept his head hung low in shame, "You know Midoriya, it was in these very halls I made the mistake of saying I was stronger than you. It was never about who could beat the other in combat and claim the top spot in the hero listings. In the end, it mattered about the next generation after us, and you surpassed me there in every way. You're far superior in fatherhood, and even manage to juggle other children as your students."

"Todoroki.."

"I'm not done. You've been there for Iris more than I have, and I haven't properly thanked you for that. I wish for you to continue looking after her in my absence. It seems as though our daughters are forming a friendship as well, and I want you to utilize that. Regardless of what Momo says about the vigilante, what you pulled out of it and told Iris was brilliant. She'll be crafted into a fine hero thanks to that ideology you gave her.", Shoto bowed.

"Todoroki, please raise your head back up. All that you're saying is appreciated, but I'm really only doing what you would do for Hikiyose if you were in my shoes.", Izuku replied.

"I would gladly give up my life for both our daughters.", Shoto agreed.

"Which is why you have nothing to apologize for. If you really want to focus on raising her in a different way than you were brought up by Endeavor, then it's best to be open about how you feel. Tell her what you told me. You can trust her like you trust me."

"Thank you, Midoriya. I'll be sure to tell Iris how I feel when the time is right."

…

"ONTO THE SECOND EVENT!"

The crowd cheered as Class 1-A and Class 1-B returned to the field that had been turned into a battlefield. Rundown buildings made it look like a cross between the suburbs and a forgotten town turned small city. On either end of the stadium were massive constructs with markings of red & blue. Both teams stood in the center between Momo Todoroki who explained the next competition.

"The next event will be a classic game of _**Capture The Flag**_! The rules are simple, the first team to steal the other's flag wins the challenge and moves on. The battle of classes will then be over.", Momo summarized the match pretty well.

"I know who **I'll** be rooting for!", Denki joked. This earned him a whack upside the head from his wife's ear jacks.

"Each class will be given three minutes to create a defensive and offensive strategy. Then the match will start.", Momo let the two teams head into their bases.

"Okay, we're gonna need to split into groups, guards and attackers.", Hikiyose started making the plan as soon as they were inside their hideout.

"Who elected YOU as leader?", Yuoro complained.

"Have YOU got a better idea?", Hikiyose countered. This made everyone restrain from making any remarks about who was team captain.

"What's the plan?", Iris wondered.

"You need to create a bunch of traps and barriers with Kasai. Kaminari and I will guard the flag while Shimasu will patrol the building. THAT'S the defending team and its strategy. As for offense squad, I want Tokoyami as the leader since he has his tongue that can reach and Bright Umbra to blind anyone while also snatching the flag. Nagaidesu is with you for that same reason, his arms can snatch the flag if need be. Pqerosu can shrink down and sneak in to take the flag. Akauna and Sero can pose as distractions while the rest of you raid the place. It's perfect.", Hikiyose ran through her fool proof plan.

"Alright, let's do this!", Jayzon hyped up his class as they all joined hands.

"PREP TIME IS OVER! LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

The offensive team stealthily made their way through the makeshift environment. Yuoro constantly swatted at bugs buzzing around her as they sneaked past buildings. Hamina used her acid tape to burn their way into one of the constructs, several insects flew out of it much to her annoyance. The group continued moving forward, eventually reaching the enemy base. Shuaka used his quirk to shrink and sneak in through a crack so he could scope out the inside. Before the offense team could follow in pursuit, they took notice of Shuaka running back out through the crack. Several spiders were chasing after him. The girls shrieked and recoiled while Carame stomped on them and Pqerosu returned to average size.

"You'll pay for that.", everyone turned around to see the source of a scratchy voice. A humanoid teen that looked like some sort of living centipede stalked forward with an army of insects trailing behind him.

"That explains the bugs. He must have been using them as reconnaissance.", Verde inspected the enemy's quirk.

"Um, you can all deal with that while I go very far away.", Yuoro backed up as she became grossed out.

"I'll hold him off. Everyone else go!", Tokoyami shouted before using his tongue to attack the insects. "BRIGHT UMBRA!", the blinding beast barreled out of his stomach and tackled the bug boy.

…

 _Three days ago, Yuoro Akauna had been personally training with Izuku Midoriya. The two were practicing combat maneuvers until Izuku brought up another form of training._

" _Remember when I told you we'd also improve upon your quirk?", the question was more of a rhetorical one._

" _Yeah.. I didn't understand what you meant since my quirk only helps give other people power.", Yuoro nodded._

" _Well.. have you ever tried passing it on to YOURSELF?", Izuku asked._

 _Akauna blushed as she shook her head, "That.. never really occurred to me.."_

" _Well.. why don't you try it?"_

…

Yuoro used her suddenly enhanced strength to punch through the base's wall. Once inside, the offense team was faced with Class 1-B's defensive team. A raven haired girl cracked her knuckles while a boy who's skull was exposed stomped on the ground. Suddenly, everyone felt like they were sinking in quicksand. None of Class 1-A was expecting to face off against the son of Juzo Honenuki, the fifth ranked hero! Carame Nagaidesu and Hamina Sero grabbed onto Yuoro & Shuaka before using their quirks to pull themselves out of the quicksand. Carame used his elastic arm to propel himself forward and swing into the skull faced teen with an extended kick. Hamina secured her acid tape before getting railed by the enemy team. Yuoro jumped in with her enhanced strength and fell into a wrestling match with the other girl. Both were strong as they fought one another, even smashing through walls to invoke more damage.

Meanwhile, Verde Tokoyami continued pushing the bug boy back with his Bright Umbra. The insectoid started overpowering the creature and flung Verde across the room. With one of his attacks diminished, Tokoyami followed up by using his tongue to secure his opponent. Fleas and lice bit away at Verde to try and get him to release the hold, but he held strong.

Yuoro came crashing through the wall with another fighter and rammed into the bug boy. The three rolled across the floor, creating a mess along the way. It gave enough time for Tokoyami to recuperate and summon Bright Umbra once more. A four way battle raged on as wasps and bees swarmed the area.

At Class 1-A's base, Kasai and Iris worked their way through the building planting different kinds of traps. Kasai trailed blood along the wall and floor to ignite if anyone were to come down the corridor while Iris left landmines that would explode with ice to freeze enemies in place. The two strolled along, keeping up the pace as they spoke.

"So.. your quirk has to do with fire, huh?", Iris giggled.

"Yeah. So?", Kasai seemed unamused.

"I just thought it was funny since mine revolves around ice and we're always getting paired up."

"Whatever.", Kasai shrugged.

"I never got to see how it worked during the Battle Trials, so hopefully this will be my chance.", Iris tried to keep a sense of positivism despite her partner's sulking attitude.

"I guess.", Kasai shrugged again.

"Okay, what's your problem?! You always seem depressed!", Iris stopped mid stride to face the boy.

"I told you. My dad's a prick.", Kasai replied like it was common sense.

"Yeah? He didn't visit you after your match? Well guess what, neither did mine!", Iris shouted back.

"..Sorry to hear that.", Kasai continued to look away from her.

"It doesn't matter. Didn't you listen to what I said during my speech? Heroes don't seek approval or praise. They do what's right because it's right.", Iris waved off his empathy.

"Because of that vigilante, right? Why did you want me to join your search party for him anyway?"

Iris felt her face turning red and had to use her quirk to cool it off, "Um.. you, I.. I don't have to answer every question you ask me!", she huffed. This made Kasai raise an eyebrow.

"Okay.. well, let's get back to setting up traps then.."

"WAIT! Um, you never did tell me.. do you want to join our 'search party' for him?"

Kasai heaved a sigh, "If it'll make you happy, then sure..", the response made Iris blush despite the use of her quirk to prevent it.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?", the sudden voice of a third person caught the two's attention. Kasai and Iris stared down a member of Class 1-B that stalked forward like a zombie. He looked anorexic and had long gray hair draped over his eyes. Kasai gave the newcomer no chance as he slapped his hand against the blood stained floor. Fire streamed across the path and made the enemy leap to the side to avoid it. An ice landmine froze his leg in place, effectively trapping the member of Class 1-B. "Oh my.. what ever will I do?", the continued sarcasm worried Iris. The anorexic boy twisted his leg and gave off a faint pop before ripping it free from the ice. It took Kasai and Iris only a second to realize he had broken his own leg to escape.

Kasai rushed the enemy head on, using a move taught to him by Izuku to break the attacker's rib cage. "Kasai, what are you doing?! Violence like that might get us disqualified!", Iris worried. However, it didn't seem to affect the member of Class 1-B as that limp side readjusted under his flesh.

"Just as I suspected, his quirk allows him to manipulate his bone structure..", Kasai growled.

"Yes. I call it _Contortionist_!", the bone breaker and Kasai locked eachother in combat.

"Iris, get out of here!", Kasai yelled out. "There's probably others, you have to stop them!"

Meanwhile, Jayzon Shimasu spat shards of rubble covered in acidic vomit as projectiles at a girl with butterfly wings that fluttered around to avoid them. One of Class 1-B's team members used X-Ray vision to scout ahead the layout and led the assault. Hikiyose and Obachaji were forced to fight their own battle as they defended the flag. A boy who screamed like a banshee held back Kaminari while Hikiyose tried breaking through another boy's forcefield.

Yuoro's time limit was exceeded and she lost her fight with the other strong woman as a result. Luckily, the battle led the two to a foreign part of the layout and gave Akauna's team some more time to capture Class 1-B's flag. Verde Tokoyami put the bug boy into a choke hold that Izuku taught him, winning his personal one on one fight. Hamina and Carame used their quirks to evade vines coming from another girl that looked to be the daughter of some pro hero. If Hikiyose were there, she would easily identify the quirk as similar to that of Ibara Shiozaki's. Izuku was able to make the comparison from his spot in the bleachers.

Kasai locked his hand on the elbow of his opponent and snapped the arm like a twig. The Class 1-B member grinned before snapping it back like a slingshot and backhanding Kasai. The boys exchanged rough blows for a moment before Kasai kicked in his enemy's knee. "You're fighting pretty dirty!", the contortionist grimaced as he relocated the kneecap.

"Thanks to your quirk, I don't have to hold back. ..Much..", Kasai returned the grin.

"Why, you son of a-", the contortionist never got to finish his sentence as Kasai delivered a blow to his throat. As the teen gagged, he was unprepared for a swift knee to the chest. The Class 1-B member stumbled back as he desperately tried to breathe.

"Is that all you got?", Kasai stalked over the boy.

Hikiyose Midoriya found herself panting in exhaustion, slowing her movements for a forcefield to effectively trap her. She pounded against the barrier to no avail. The banshee boy was overwhelming Obachaji as well, screaming like a canary. As Kaminari fell to her knees in pain, she felt anger boiling up inside her. Then, she released the fury like a volcano eruption. Maximum voltage circulated throughout the room, electrocuting the Class 1-B members. The forcefield Hikiyose was in shielded her long enough for the rampage to end. Obachaji gave a thumbs up to Iris who had arrived too late to be any sort of backup. "Wheeyy!", Kaminari then collapsed from exhaustion.

"What.. happened?", Todoroki wondered.

"Kaminari-San.. she must not have control of her quirk, but I think she excretes electricity when she's angry!", Hikiyose gasped in relief.

"THE SECOND EVENT HAS CONCLUDED! CLASS 1-A HAS WON!"

"WHAT?!", all of Class 1-B was in awe.

"Shuaka Pqerosu captured the flag in his shrunken state!", Denki explained through the intercom.

"While everyone was distracted fighting one another, he made off with the goal.", Kyoka chimed in.

"As expected of Midoriya-Kun's class!", Tenya Iida chopped his hands at the air like he was part of the battle.

"After this next intermission, we will begin the battle tournaments! Finally, Class 1-A won't be working with eachother anymore, but will be fighting against one another!"

…

"Hey Denki, don't you think our daughter was 'whey' cool?", Kyoka teased Obachaji and her husband.

"Moommm!", Obachaji groaned.

"It's okay sweetie, I used to overcharge all the time too!", Denki reassured the girl.

"And I found it hilarious every time. It's part of why I fell in love with him.", Kyoka laughed.

"MOOMM!", Obachaji groaned again.

"Hey Kaminari-San, I heard about how you defended our flag!", the three were surprised to see Carame running towards them. "I think it was 'whey' cool!", Nagaidesu joked. This made Kyoka snicker with Denki and Obachaji flush red.

"I hate you all!", the embarrassed teenage girl screamed.

Meanwhile, Hamina and her parents were all in a group hug hopping up and down exclaiming, "WE DID IT! WE DID IT!"

Hikiyose and Verde found their parents and received similar embraces. However, both were embarrassed and didn't play along. The Midoriyas and Tokoyamis laughed along as they teased one another.

Iris Todoroki watched all the happy families from a distance before ducking into a hallway away from them all. She strolled through it with a heavy sigh, feeling like the world was against her. Iris only stopped when she realized someone was waiting for her in the corridor. "Dad..", she gasped.

"Iris. I'm.. relieved that you were able to make it to the final rounds.", Shoto awkwardly spoke.

"Thanks..", Iris shrugged it off. "I was hoping you and mom would have a little more faith in your own daughter.."

"Iris, I didn't mean-", Shoto never got to finish his apology as Iris brushed past him. "Dammit. Why am I so bad at this?", he sighed to himself. _I just didn't want to be like my father. He pressured me during the festival, pushing me with his own selfish desire to make me win. I didn't want to do that to her.. I wanted her to feel like it was her own win, like she had done on her own. Now she feels like I felt about my dad.. she thinks I don't care about her. That hurts more than anything.._ , Shoto gave a mental confession to himself before leaning against the wall to brace himself. Tears were an uncommon thing for him, but they were daring to stream.

Iris Todoroki continued down the hall until she ran into another person. She expected it to be her mother, but was surprised to find out it was Kasai. "Wh- What are you doing here?", she wondered.

"I wanted to get away from everyone. It may sound stupid, but I can't stand the sight of seeing others happy with their parents. It reminds me of my own and.. you get the idea.", Kasai sighed.

"No, it's not stupid. I understand completely..", Iris joined the boy in the corner, both of them sitting next to one another. "Sometimes I feel like they just don't care, ya know. My dad and mom.. they never really give me any attention."

"God, what I would give to have that.."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't stand being around my father. I'm more like his tool than his son, and it pisses me off. It's like I was made to be a means to an end. He never really wanted me other than to use me..", Kasai vented his frustrations.

Iris stared at the boy with a sympathetic expression before taking his hand in hers. "I didn't realize it could be so bad.."

Kasai dared to look her in the eyes for once, both of them blushing in doing so. It was like they were gazing into eachother's souls, Iris with her light blue eyes filling the calm sky while Kasai's dark blue eyes dangerously radiated like a rapid ocean. Both of them leaned forward as they were drawn in by the sights, feeling one another's breath as they drew closer. Iris gave off a cool breeze while Kasai emitted the heat of the moment. Both intersected without either of them making contact.

"THE FINAL EVENT BEGINS NOW! Our starting match.. Kasai versus Iris Todoroki!"

The two stopped before their lips could connect, both blushing and grinning.

"That's convenient.", Kasai joked.

"If I win, you still owe me that kiss.", Iris teased back.

"You won't get me to throw the match that easily.", Kasai's downtrodden attitude was suddenly a more playful one. Iris smiled as she realized she had such an influence on the boy.

"Then you should have tried making the same bet.", Iris left before Kasai could say anything else. The boy let his jaw hang as he took in the statement. When it closed, it morphed into a smirk.

…

"First to knock the other out of the ring or to render one unconscious wins!"

Kasai V Todoroki

The two stood opposite of one another.

"BEGIN!"

Iris created a shield to block a swift kick from the boy. She shoved it forward, making him somersault backwards and skid across the cement. Kasai proved to be faster by retaliating with his other leg, shattering the ice and knocking Iris on her back. He hesitated upon realizing what he did, leaving an opportunity for the girl to sweep his legs out from under him. Both of the fighters laid on their backs now, staring up at the sky as the crowd roared in anticipation.

"Damn you and getting inside my head with emotions..", Kasai shook off the feeling before leaping back to his feet. Iris was already creating two ice minions to fight for her by the time he recovered. The frosty henchmen charged him, using the same moves Izuku showed the class. Kasai managed to block each attack before going on the offense and breaking through them.

Kasai bit down on his thumb to draw blood and thrashed it forward, making some splatter on the ground between them. It immediately caught on fire, creating a mini barrier between the two. Iris backed away as she tried creating something to put it out, but discovered the heat was too much to emit anymore ice. She raised her fists, prepared to fight only using what Izuku taught her.

Kasai leaped through the flames unaffected, delivering a swift blow to her abdomen and sending her out of bounds. The fight was over before it could have even begun, making the crowd cheer over such a sudden victory.

"Kasai wins!"

Iris glanced at the audience, spotting her mother & father. Momo and Shoto lowered their heads. She felt like a disgrace.

…

"Jayzon Shimasu versus Carame Nagaidesu!"

Both boys stood opposite from one another.

"BEGIN!"

Carame started by stretching his arms out and wrapping them around Jayzon. Faster than the first match, he tossed his opponent out of bounds.

"Nagaidesu wins!"

…

"Hamina Sero versus Verde Tokoyami!"

The two bowed from opposite ends of the ring.

"BEGIN!"

"BRIGHT UMBRA!", Verde summoned the shining being that attempted to knock Hamina out of bounds. Sero closed her eyes to prevent being blinded and shot her acid tape at random with hope that it would find its target. Luckily for her, it snagged Tokoyami and allowed her to grapple into him with a punch.

Verde used his tongue to grab hold of her leg and pull her with him as they tumbled backwards. Sero was quick to use her tape again and yank the two back into the center of the ring. The two staggered from being thrashed around so much before regaining their composure and getting into fighting stances. The crowd roared in excitement as Bright Umbra reemerged and Hamina ducked under it. She used her tape to pull out Verde's legs and get the upper hand. The bird boy spun like a break dancer before kicking her back.

Everyone was on the edge of their seat as the two evaded long ranged attacks, Verde with his tongue & Hamina with her tape. The two closed the gap and racked against one another like football players. Tokoyami was proving stronger and began shoving her towards the edge. Hamina then surprised the bird boy with a sneak attack by kicking him in the bird balls! Verde lost his strength long enough for Sero to toss him over her shoulder and out of bounds.

Or so she thought! Tokoyami was mid air before using his tongue to reel himself back into the ring. He fell to one knee in pain as she neared him. His last resort was shouting, "Bright Umbra!", to keep her away as he recovered. The shimmering creature snaked itself around Sero before slamming her against the concrete and tossing her out of bounds. Hamina attempted to use her tape in the same way Verde used his tongue, but was too late as she landed on the ground.

"Tokoyami Wins!"

"YES, GO TOKOYAMI-SAN!", Hikiyose cheered from the stands. Fumikage and Tsuyu shared a knowing glance with the Midoriyas as they clapped. Ochaco giggled as Izuku wondered what the stare meant.

"She put up a good fight!", Hanta shrugged.

"She even used the move I taught her!", Mina exclaimed.

"YOU taught her to kick him THERE?!", everyone scolded the pink skinned woman.

"Heh.. Yes. I mean.. Ooops?"

…

"Obachaji Kaminari versus Shuaka Pqerosu!"

The two bowed to one another.

"BEGIN!"

Obachaji lashed out with her ear jacks to find nothing there as Shuaka used his quirk to shrink. She scanned the floor, searching for a blue speck, but found it difficult to find. Pqerosu returned to average size behind her and used the sudden sneak attack to catch her off guard. She wasn't expecting him to grab hold of her arm and use it to fling her out of bounds.

"Pqerosu Wins!"

"That's some bullshit.."

"Now dear, we can't play favorites, remember?"

"Shut up Denki!"

"AAHH, UUHH, MOVING ONTO THE NEXT MATCH!"

…

"Hikiyose Midoriya versus Yuoro Akauna!"

Yuoro activated her quirk on herself as Hikiyose got into a fighting stance.

"BEGIN!"

 _Sparring lessons with Yuoro proved fun, it was like Hikiyose walking in her father's footsteps. She enjoyed teaching her friend all the different techniques and martial arts. Block, Evade, Strike, Block, Block, Jab. Motions became more fluent as they practiced. Soon, the two girls were in sync with one another. The two shared an elegant dance similar to the one Hikiyose had with her father during the Battle Trials. Maybe it was too similar, since it ended with the fun dispensing. Yuoro's strikes became more aggressive and caused Hikiyose to bust out moves she hadn't taught her friend yet. The two argued over what was fair and unfair, causing a drift that was already starting to get bigger._

Hikiyose performed a flip as she soared over the other girl's head, leaving Yuoro's fist to smash the ground where she had once been. Akauna swung her free hand at the space behind her, worried of a counter attack. The paranoia was enough to make Hikiyose take another step back, but nothing made contact.

 _The two girls used gymnastics to articulate their fighting style. It proved different from their father's and helped them perform better combos. One would roll over the other, the next would slide and duck. Jumping and leaping, flipping and somersaulting through the air. Neither girl could touch the other with their impressive evasive maneuvers._

Yuoro kicked up the debris she created and chucked it at the other girl. Hikiyose performed a display of acrobatics before closing the distance and kicking Yuoro. Akauna screamed in anger as she lashed out, striking Hikiyose and knocking her across the ring.

 _Dodge, flip, weave, lean, duck._

Hikiyose rolled to the side to dodge another strength fueled attack. She used the opening to deliver another kick and used that footing to press off so she could perform an elegant flip. Yuoro recovered fast enough to charge her opponent again, but became sloppy as Hikiyose used the momentum to wrap around Akauna like an anaconda.

" _There are plenty of ways to subdue somebody. I'm going to show you them all.", Izuku spoke._

" _Dad.. Can you show me the best one to do without a weapon?", Hikiyose asked._

" _I was planning to start with it anyway.", Izuku smiled._

The maneuver prevented Yuoro from using her arms and legs, despite the enhanced strength. Any sort of struggling only tightened Hikiyose's hold. The applied pressure dug into Akauna's pressure points, cutting off blood circulation and making her feel numb enough to weaken. Hikiyose then used that opening to put her into a choke hold and finish the fight.

" _Mr. Midoriya.. Can you show me how to get out of any hold? I don't want to be a damsel in distress. If somebody were to take me as a hostage, I want to be able to get out of it.", Yuoro asked Izuku._

Akauna slipped her fingers in between her neck and Hikiyose's arm to loosen the hold. With a minimal space to breathe, she relaxed and rolled her shoulders back to push Hikiyose off. The green haired girl felt her grip come off and pushed back before performing a somersault to get away.

"Dad taught you that too, huh?", Hikiyose frowned.

"Y- Yeah.. Didn't think it'd come in handy this soon..", Yuoro rubbed her throbbing neck.

"So.. How should we finish this? Hand to hand?", Hikiyose wondered.

"Sure, I always wanted to know who was better.", Yuoro charged her opponent.

 _Jab, Block, Jab, Jab, Block._

Block, Block, Jab, Duck, Strike.

 _Lean, Jab, Block, Block._

Lean, Roll, Block, Jab, Block, Strike.

 _Side Step, Kick, Jab, Jab, Block._

Kick, Jab, Kick, Kick, Jab, Jab, Strike, Block, Jab.

The two pushed off the other before catching their breathes.

 _Flying Kick, Rolling Punch, Spin Kick, Jab, Strike, Jab._

The two ran forward, prepared to continue the fight.

Flying Kick, Rolling Punch, Spin Kick, Jab, Strike, Jab.

Yuoro Akauna was knocked out of bounds and rendered unconscious.

"Midoriya Wins!"

The crowd cheered as they stood up from their seats. After such a show, they deserved an applause.

"That's my girl!", Ochaco cheered.

"Good job, Midoriya-San!", Verde also cheered. The other Tokoyamis flashed another glance at the Midoriyas. Ochaco giggled since Izuku still had no clue what it meant.

…

The next intermission went by with parents encouraging their children or cheering them up. Iris didn't stand around to wait for hers to share any words, she decided to hide under the bleachers. It took Kasai a long and difficult search, but he eventually spent enough time to find her. Unlike the last time, she didn't look him in the eyes.

"Guess I don't get that kiss, huh?", Kasai joked. Iris grunted in response, it was like the two had their personalities swapped. "Come on, don't tell me you're a sore loser.."

"I'm sorry Kasai, but I really don't feel like talking right now.."

Kasai sighed as he sat beside her anyways. "I know that feeling better than anyone."

Iris shifted so her back was facing the boy. "Please, just leave me alone. I don't want to blame you, but I can't help it. My parents, they were looking down on me like I'm some sort of disgrace. All because I lost to you!"

"Hey.. you're most certainly not a disgrace. Todoroki.. Iris, you're not a disgrace.", Kasai turned her around so they could look into one another's eyes. He spoke gently this time, it was more affectionate and caring, a side of Kasai that had never been seen.

"Then why do I feel like one?", Iris cried.

"I wish I could answer that for you, but I don't know what to say.. because I feel the same."

The two hugged one another, Kasai let Iris sob into his shoulder as they waited for the intermission to end.

…

"The final match is upon us. This is a battle royal, a five way free for all!"

Hikiyose Midoriya, Carame Nagaidesu, Shuaka Pqerosu, Verde Tokoyami, and Kasai.

"Last person standing wins!"

The fighters began spreading out as Denki counted down.

"Five!"

Carame Nagaidesu extended his arms to fight far & close range.

"Four!"

Shuaka Pqerosu shrunk to a size unseeable by the naked eye.

"Three!"

Verde Tokoyami summoned Bright Umbra.

"Two!"

Kasai bit into his thumb to draw blood.

"One!"

Hikiyose Midoriya held her breath.

"BEGIN!"

Kasai created a defensive wall of fire to cut himself off from the rest of the fight. Carame tried to wrap his arms around Bright Umbra like a lasso, but wasn't expecting Verde's tongue to lash out and smack him. The sudden surprise attack was enough to allow Bright Umbra a better push and Nagaidesu was shoved out of bounds. Hikiyose caught of glimpse of a blue speck heading her way and kicked up dirt to blow it away. The small amount of dust didn't seem like much to the crowd, but for Shuaka, it was a sandstorm. The miniature boy was blown out of bounds by what seemed like a massive wind before he returned to an average size.

Verde and Hikiyose stared one another down. "I don't want to fight you.", they both admitted to eachother at the same time. They both blushed before turning towards the wall of flames. "Let's team up on Kasai!", they spoke together a second time. Both were thankful that they were too far away from eachother to see the blushes.

"I have to take you both on? Very well.", Kasai didn't seem bothered by the disadvantage. He allowed Verde to shoot his tongue out and grabbed hold of it before yanking as hard as he could. Tokoyami gagged as he was thrust forward into a punch. The bird boy fell to the ground, coughing up blood. Kasai saw the red liquid and immediately ignited it to burn Tokoyami.

"NO!", Hikiyose intervened with an extended kick that sent Kasai spiraling. The blood burner spun back and backhanded the girl. The crowd gasped as she fell beside Verde.

"Midoriya..", Verde trembled with anger, "You'll pay for that Kasai!"

Bright Umbra then launched like a rocket and rammed Kasai out of bounds. The crowd cheered over the victory as Verde & Hikiyose regained their footing.

"Looks like it's between you and me now..", Hikiyose nervously laughed.

"I could just forfeit. I don't mind.", Tokoyami shrugged while making his offer.

"No! I actually wanna see if you're any good at hand to hand combat. Did my father teach you anything?"

"A few things.", Verde smirked.

"Then let's see who's better.", Hikiyose returned the smirk.

Jab, Block, Leap, Duck, Leg Sweep, Jab, Block, Block, Jab, Strike.

The two countered blow after blow, each hit bouncing off the other's palm. The flow looked premeditated and rehearsed as they fought. Speed picked up, but punches never became overly aggressive, it was like a playful dance to them.

Jab, Block, Jab, Block, Block, Jab, Jab, Block, Uppercut!

Verde staggered back as he clutched his beak.

"Are you okay?", Hikiyose worried.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going.", Verde shook it off.

Jab, Jab, Block, Block, Block, Block, Jab, Block, Jab.

"You're too easy!", Hikiyose teased as she pushed him back.

"Oh yeah? Bright Umbra!", the sudden glow blinded Hikiyose long enough for Verde to tackle her. He pinned her down with his hands on her wrists. "NOW am I too easy?"

"What do you want? A reward?", Hikiyose teased the bird teen. Verde blushed as he realized how close they were and what she was implying. That was all the cruel girl needed to toss Tokoyami over her head by using her legs. Verde was so flustered by the sudden move, he wasn't expecting a swift kick to the gut to send him out of bounds.

"Midoriya Wins!"

Izuku and Ochaco would have fainted if it weren't for the fountain of tears splashing them awake.

…

The top three contenders stood upon separate platforms.

"And now, the award ceremony will be conducted by none other than the number one hero himself!", Momo announced her husband's arrival and the two gave eachother a quick peck on the lips. Shoto held three ribbons in his hand as he approached the stands.

"In third place, Kasai.", Momo spoke as the half & half hero approached the contender.

"I'm sorry about your daughter.", Kasai's statement made Shoto freeze mid movement.

"Me too.", was all Shoto could say as he slipped the ribbon over Kasai's head.

"In second place, Verde Tokoyami.", Momo gestured to the bird teen.

"You displayed an extraordinary amount of potential.", Shoto gave Verde the award as the two bowed.

"And in first place, as well as the first quirkless to win the festival, Hikiyose Midoriya!"

"I hoped to be giving this to my own daughter.. but in a way, I feel like I am.", Shoto smiled.

"Th- Thank you, Mr. Todoroki!", Hikiyose bowed with tears in her eyes.

…

 _ **END CHAPTER SEVEN**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Wow, I can't believe I actually fit the ENTIRE Sports Festival into one chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, cause that took a lot outta me! I got around to writing & covering so much too, a lot of it actually from recommendations you guys gave me! **_

_**So without further ado, onto reviews!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: Just wait until Izuku gets his updated suit! ;D**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Oh, I see you wrote a chapter for me too! Just messing with ya buddy, I love the huge reviews, I appreciate the time & effort! I'm surprised you got to asking about Mei's boyfriend, didn't think anyone would be that curious! We got people asking about Hatsume's boyfriend and not the traitor?! I guess it's safe to assume that he isn't Iida after this chapter. (Or is it?) I guess it's not too much of a spoiler to say I do have someone in mind and it's a doozy. Not sure when I'll get around to revealing it and covering that story though.. As you can see, I took a stab at your suggestion about Todoroki and will continue trying to do it justice! That never crossed my mind and holds a lot of potential, so I just had to take a shot! I'm excited to dive deeper into that subplot you presented, so thanks for that! Oddly, enough that Batgirl comparison never really crossed my mind either. I never really thought about Izuku having a partner or sidekick outside of Mei, so that probably won't happen, but there's definitely something brewing. As for your thoughts on the Sports Festival, I hope they were made good. I mostly wanted to use it to develop the class and like you said, have a little fun with the original Class 1-A. **_

_**Jadegem02: As you read, you can see I took your suggestion about the flashbacks too! I hope I applied it correctly and where it was needed. As usual, super happy that you're liking the story and hope to keep that excitement going!**_

 _ **Ooobserver: I love this review so much, I really appreciate the kind & positive feedback! I'm happy I can make my story stand out while it also still being grouped in a common category! There's bound to be a lot of close calls and drama, so be VERY nervous!**_

 _ **That being said, I'm excited to dive back into vigilante stuff! Next time, it's time to choose the vigilante's name! Jikei-Dan or The Green Shadow?! You decide!**_


	8. The Green Shadow Brought Into Light

Hosu City had always been a rundown slum for criminals of every genre to dwell. After inactivity from the nameless vigilante, it seemed to only gradually become worse. People passing one another on the sidewalk or riding the subway in this particular area were most likely serial killers at the lowest caliber. This being the case, three vigilante seeking teenagers thought it was the perfect place to look. Iris Todoroki led the hunt with Kasai and Hikiyose Midoriya following closley behind. The trio didn't blend well with everyone else, and it wasn't just their age. Since they stood out so much, it didn't take long for one of those common murders to single them out.

A bald man covered head to toe in tattoos trailed them like a videogame mission, trying to be inconspicuous despite the quickened pace. The creep had a patchy beard with equally unkempt rags for clothes that left holes for his skin to peer through. The flesh was tarnished with ink shaped into jagged daggers or something of a snake coiled around his neck. The unsettling man eagerly waited for the teens to be in a more secluded spot of the city. Once their were no longer many pedestrians crowding the area, he struck. It turned out that his particular quirk had to do with those tattoos. The jagged blade on his flesh materialized off of his flesh and into his hand. The weapon was raised high into the air and about to impale Hikiyose.

Except, the knife never came in contact with the teenage girl. A green blur rammed into the side of the would-be murder, catching the man's wrist and prying the blade free. Iris and the others watched as their savior darted into an alleyway to inflict more damage. Bones cracking and snapping were occupied with the tattooed being's screams. Despite marveling the situation, Iris and Hikiyose shuddered. Kasai watched the shadows intently, expecting the Hosu vigilante to recede from them.

"Dad?!", Hikiyose gasped. None of the irresponsible heroes in training had expected Izuku Midoriya to emerge from the darkness. Their off duty teacher was wearing a dark green hoodie with matching sweatpants and red sneakers.

"I'm just as shocked to see my **daughter** and her _friends_ here.", Hikiyose's relief was short lived when she heard the sharp pitch in her father's angry tone. "I'll ask the obvious question. What are you three doing in Hosu unsupervised?", Izuku folded his arms and tapped his foot expectantly.

The two girls exchanged a worried glance before Kasai spoke for them, "We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the vigilante."

Izuku's glare never wavered from his daughter, "I can't believe you would do something so reckless! If I hadn't intervened, one of you could have been hurt! Or worse, **killed**!"

Hikiyose lowered under her father's gaze, she wasn't used to being scolded. Iris had the same sort of reaction, she often received occasional disciplining from her mother, but never a father figure. Only Kasai seemed to remain unphased by the reprimanding. "Why were _you_ here?", the teenage boy even dared to counter argue.

Izuku hesitated on his answer for only a second before responding, "I was following you three to make sure you didn't get yourselves into trouble. It's a good thing I did, obviously.", Hikiyose groaned since she took this as a form of him saying he was chaperoning her secretively. Unknown to the trio of teens, this was a bold faced lie. Then again, Izuku couldn't tell them he was actually the Hosu vigilante and patrolled the streets despite his costume still undergoing maintenance. They had just simply gotten lucky that he was at the right place at the right time.

Before Hikiyose could complain or Kasai could press for more questions, the group was surprised by Iris stepping forward to speak. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Midoriya, it's all _my_ fault. I'm the one that convinced them to come here and help me look for the vigilante. Punish _me_ , not your daughter or Kasai.", the young Todoroki apologized.

Izuku inhaled deeply as he took in the explanation, "I appreciate you taking responsibility. I'll leave the punishment decisions to your own parents, but that doesn't excuse you from obeying me to go home immediately. As for my daughter, she's _grounded for a month_."

"Daadd, but I won the Sports Festival and everything, remember?! Doesn't that let me off the hook somewhat?!", Hikiyose groaned and pleaded.

Izuku shook his head, "That's why I'm not going to share this information with your mother. Just imagine what would have happened if she was the one that caught you."

Hikiyose gulped, "Good point.. Thanks dad. A one month grounding isn't so bad, I guess.."

"Oh? Then let's add to that punishment. You have to jog home, no free ride from me."

"DAADD! NOT FAIR!"

…

After ensuring his daughter and the other troublesome teenagers made it safely out of Hosu, Izuku returned to patrolling the city for crime. It wasn't until hours later that he found the streets somewhat empty and what passed as 'safe'. He then went to Mei Hatsume's workshop to check in on her progress with the suit. If he weren't so used to it, the explosions going off in her lab would have made him think a villain was attacking. Per usual, Mei's inventions were detonating during test runs, which made him all the more nervous when thinking about his suit being crafted in the same explosive way.

"Sorry, I'm closed!", Hatsume disregarded the hooded man that entered her establishment. Her eyes never drifted from her work as she used a blowtorch on what looked like a motorcycle straight out of the American franchise called Tron.

Izuku pulled down his hood so she could get a better look at him, "The amount of times I hear you mistakenly tell me that makes me wonder if I you'd ever receive any business from me if I were a real customer.", he grinned as he found a way to repay Mei's own teasing.

The pink haired mechanic removed her welder's mask with an equal toothy smile, "Deku! Who says you aren't a real customer? After all, you're the only one I help after hours."

"Speaking of helping me, any news on my upgraded uniform?", Izuku asked.

"I could tell you all about it, but why don't you see for yourself?!", Hatsume excitedly led the green haired man to something covered with by a tarp. "You pestered me so much, I finally got it finished!", she pulled the cover off to reveal version 2.0 of his crime fighting costume.

Much like the original suit, it was mostly a dark shade of green with occasional black components. Izuku ran his fingers along the fabric to feel a much rougher material. His old costume was made with household clothes that were easily pierced by knives and bullets. Whatever Hatsume used felt like it was most certainly bulletproof, but still remained skintight and light. The design was a little more complex than his last one, the black no longer contained only by his gloves & boots. The bottom half shared the darker tone around his crotch and spread down to the back of his upper legs. The connection was somewhat cut of by a metallic utility belt also coated black, but the dark material was on either side of his ribs.

"The green stuff can probably withstand gunshots and quirks from a distance while the black parts can protect you from a close range attack.", Hatsume spoke up before Izuku could ask about the color scheme. Now he understand why his more fragile and vulnerable body parts were coated in black.

The mouth-guard was a darker shade than his previous one, probably to hide his facial expressions. Izuku was thankful that the smile design still remained and the piece was detachable like a gas mask. The voice filter had been adjusted to sound deeper just for extra measure. Much like the mouthpiece, glass material coverings shadowed his eyes to not only protect them, but provide different forms of manufactured sight. Izuku whistled in approval as he switched through thermal vision to even x-ray mode. One other change about the mask was the horns, they had been made shorter to not be mistaken for rabbit ears and seem more threatening.

"Thanks for not changing the design around TOO MUCH.", Izuku sighed in relief.

"Well, if you DO ever get bored of the same look.. you can allows mirror it with what I like to call.. 'Stealth Mode'!", Hatsume giggled as she did something with a dial on the suit's belt. The costume then fluctuated as the colors became reversed. What was once green was now black and vice versa, which would make it much more difficult to spot him in the darkness.

"I- I'm speechless.. that is so COOL!", Izuku gawped at the fascinating revelation.

"Oh, but that's not all! Have a look at the gloves. The fingertips allow you to cling onto any surface.", Mei demonstrated by sticking one to the wall in front of them. "Same can be said for the boots. WHICH I TOTALLY TRICKED OUT AS WELL! Check this out!", Hatsume then activated a hidden cartilage in one of the shoes that excreted a dark fog.

"Good thinking, they'd be expecting a smoke pellet from above, not something down from my feet!", Izuku nodded in approval of the function.

"Don't forget all the goodies I stored in your utility belt!", Mei's enthusiasm seemed to never end as she displayed each and every one. There were throwing stars, caltrops, a lock picking set, capture tape, mines & thermite gadgets, a specialized taser, quirk suppression cuffs, plastique, a miniature first aid kit, and carbon nanofiber restraints much like the ones Eraserhead showed him how to use. That seemed to be the tip of the iceberg as she continued demonstrating each item and promised to create more.

"I can't thank you enough for all of this Hatsume-San, really, it means a lot.", Izuku smiled as he tucked the costume into a briefcase she was lending him to carry it home.

"As always, it's my pleasure! Just take care of the babies and put them to good use!", Mei looked dangerously close to hugging him. Izuku pulled the green hood back over his head while etching away to avoid anymore awkward situations with her.

"I definitely will. Well, see ya next time!", Izuku politely bowed and said his goodbyes. He didn't seem to notice somebody was watching him from a distance as he exited the workshop.

Once Izuku was gone, the hidden figure made their way to the garage and knocked in hopes of the owner answering. When Hatsume did, her bright and bubbly attitude only amplified ten fold, "Babe! It's good to see you!", she greeted & hugged her boyfriend.

The man didn't seem quite as cheerful as his girlfriend as he returned the embrace, instead, he opted to scoff. "Who the hell was that hooded bastard that just left?", casual cursing and a hot headed attitude was normal behavior for the guy Mei was dating. She didn't seem to pay it much mind, nor think of his anger as a form of jealousy. If anything, he was probably just wanting to protect her from what he might assume was a creep or stalker.

Hatsume giggled as she thought about how far off that accusation would be. If he only knew the hooded man was actually the Hosu vigilante, the furthest person from someone that would harm her. Of course, she promised the illegal hero that she wouldn't let anyone know of their partnership, so this had to stay a secret. Instead, she opted to share the name the vigilante had given her, which she figured was probably a fake alias anyways. "Oh, that was just Deku. You don't have to worry about him, he's one of my favorite customers actually!"

Hatsume felt her boyfriend twitch in her arms before he harshly pulled away. He most likely didn't hear the second sentence filled with reassuring words. The blonde man was too blinded by memories and anger as he focused on the only syllables he DID hear. "..Deku..?", he growled. THAT was a name he hadn't heard in a long time, one that he wished he never would ever again.

"You.. know him?", Mei took notice of her boyfriend's tone and constantly contorting facial expressions. She had no way of knowing such a coincidence could occur by sharing what was only a nickname spoken between childhood 'friends'. Only one person would have known the true identity of the person using this alias, and they just so happened to be Hatsume's boyfriend. "Katsuki-Kun?"

The grown up bully of Izuku Midoriya felt his snarl slip away. Slowly but surely, Bakugo's lips etched upwards and morphed into a grin. "Oh, we go way back.."

…

The next day, Class 1-A was in an uproar of commotion over the Sports Festival events & results. Whoever wasn't discussing and praising their fellow classmates & their skills, was talking about the Hosu vigilante's return. It seemed like the illegal hero was making up for lost time and stopped a ring of robberies that varied from ATMs to purse snatchers. Drug shipments run by newly led crimelords lost their cargo and Yakuza activity seemed to drop once again. Sightings had been reported all over and the trio of vigilante hunters were mildly depressed that they were sent home by Izuku right before such a burst in activity. No time was spent dwelling on it as their sensei made his way into the classroom.

"Okay, everyone settle down. We have a lot to go over today, so let's not waste anymore time.", Izuku rubbed his shoulder where a mugger had stung him with a wasp related quirk the previous night. The suit Hatsume made him survived its first test run and withstood plenty that his old one wouldn't have, making him grateful that was the only wound he'd be nursing. What couldn't be accounted for was the lack of sleep though, Izuku fought back a yawn while rubbing the bags under his eyes. If he kept up his usual nightly routine as a vigilante, he'd end up more like Eraserhead than he bargained for.

"I don't like the sound of _that_..", Yuoro Akauna shuddered at the thought of a busy school schedule.

"Ah man, what do we have to do now?", Carame Nagaidesu also complained before getting slapped over the head by a pair of Obachaji Kaminari's ear jacks. "Ow..", he groaned while rubbing the sore spot.

"I think you should all be more excited.. because today, you'll be choosing your hero aliases!", Izuku grinned in expectation of the class reacting with enthusiasm. Much like he figured, the students were suddenly back to conversing with one another about what they should choose or had in mind.

"Awesome!"

"It's my time to shine!"

"My name is gonna be the one everyone considers number one!"

"Keep dreaming!"

Izuku cleared his throat to tone down the commotion before continuing, "Where your hero aliases will come in, has to do with your recognition from the Sports Festival. Concerning the pro hero draft picks, it's based on who the pros think will be ready to join the hero work force after another two or three years of experience. So, you COULD say that it's a way for certain heroes to show an interest in your futures. However, there's ample time for their interest to wane before your graduate. Any and all offers could actually get arbitrarily revoked, it unfortunately happens quite often. In which case, if you're picked _now_ , that only means there'll be higher hurdles in the years to come. That being said, here are the complete draft pick numbers."

The class continued murmuring about their worries and chances as Izuku prepared the projector to display the draft results. "There's typically a pretty decent spread.", Midoriya smiled with the class upon seeing that everyone got at least one offer. Everyone's eyes briskly scanned the chart for their own names and what number was beside it.

 _Iris Todoroki - 38_

 _Verde Tokoyami - 34_

 _Hikiyose Midoriya - 28_

 _Kasai - 27_

 _Obachaji Kaminari - 24_

 _Carame Nagaidesu - 22_

 _Hamina Sero - 20_

 _Yuoro Akauna - 16_

 _Shuaka Pqerosu - 12_

 _Jayzon Shimasu - 1_

"Wha- HUH?! How did **I** get the most internship requests?!", Iris exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her name at the top of the listing.

"Yeah, this whole order is out of whack! Wouldn't first place be the one with the most offers?", Carame chimed in with the classroom filled of confusion.

"Like I said, their offers are based on what they personally saw as potential within you. It doesn't necessarily matter who came in first, second, or third place. Even if you were to fail the first event in last and portrayed promise, you could get an internship offer.", Izuku explained. The class murmured and nodded in understanding before their sensei continued speaking, "I'll hand out personal folders for you to see who took interest in you after this period. Whether you choose to look over those during lunch or afterwards will be up to you. As of now, let's get back to working out your hero names."

"This is starting to get really fun!", Hamina happily exclaimed.

 _It's a good thing Aizawa-Sensei retired and I'M your teacher. If he had heard that, he'd probably come up with a way to make it.. well, whatever the opposite of fun is.._ , Izuku mentally replied to the pink girl to amuse himself. When she and the class settled down over excitement of getting to pick out their hero names, Izuku continued. "They're only tentative titles, but you'll still want to make them something appropriate. That has to do with the rare case of being what the world ends up calling you. That being the case, I'll be assessing the sensibility of the names you pick to avoid damaging any reputations."

Shuaka then surprised the class by raising his hand to speak, "Uh.. Sensei? What if we don't have anything in mind? Do you have any tips on how to come up with one?"

"That's a fair question. Like I said, these titles can be tentative, even Shoto Todoroki himself hadn't come up with one at this point in time.", Iris focused on her teacher's words intently at the mention of her father. "He just used his birth name and changed it later thanks to help from the press."

"I see.. anything else? Perhaps personal insight?", Shuaka continued to pry.

"Well, if I have to say more, it'd be to ask yourself the same question. What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you closer to cementing a certain image. Names are capable of reflecting one's true character.", Izuku used his own experience picking a hero title to answer his student. The insult given to him by Bakugo when they were younger had even come to mind, in hopes to reformat it. See, Deku was a mockery of Izuku's name and meant he was useless. Bakugo had come up with that nickname due to the sake of his victim being quirkless. Working to achieve potential and prove the mockery wrong, Izuku was going to use that as his hero title in a way to reword it. In the end, he went with something else and it didn't really matter considering he never got his license. Even now, his vigilante persona didn't have a set in stone title.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. You all have about fifteen minutes to think of something and then you'll be called up to present what you've chosen in front of the class. Sorry if you're shy about it, but the decision was made to keep students from pranking teachers.", Izuku spoke while handing out mini dry erase boards and markers to his class.

Time flew by faster than Gran Torino could have during his prime years as the students vigorously scribbled and wiped away different choices. Some looked to be struggling while others finished within the first minute. Izuku was eager to hear what his class had in store for him, mostly what his daughter had in mind. "Alright, I see some of you are still deciding, that's okay. While you mull over your thoughts, whoever is already finished can come up and share. Any volunteers?"

Much to his surprise, Hikiyose stood up first. He was probably the most shocked since he knew his daughter to be more of shy introvert like himself. Maybe Iris and her other friends have been rubbing off on her.. Whatever the case, Hikiyose boldly walked to the front of the class before presenting what she had written on her board.

"The Quirkless Hero! Jikei-dan!"

Izuku swallowed hard and nearly choked on his own spit as he realized where she got the inspiration from. First the similar outfit, and now her hero alias too?! In a common case, Izuku would have been proud and boasting to his wife how happy he was that his daughter looked up to him so much. However, this was no ordinary situation, nobody knew he was the Hosu vigilante and he was regarded as an outlaw. He was about to reluctantly tell her that she needed to come up with something else, but her beaming smile and the classroom's applause made him let it slide. Hopefully, Ochaco wouldn't be TOO mad at him..

"Uh, N- Next!", Izuku stuttered and coughed as he waved her off. He couldn't say anything encouraging about her choice without getting in trouble and didn't want to push the issue by putting it down. He fortunately didn't have to worry about it as the next student walked up.

"The Blood Burning Hero. Kasai."

"Aahh, come on! Using your normal name is so _borrinng_!", Hamina Sero groaned.

"B- But like I said earlier, it's completely n- normal and fine!", Izuku quickly interjected to reassure Kasai. The teenage boy simply grunted in response before returning to his desk.

"Whatever, I'll go next and show everyone how it's done!", Hamina giddily skipped to take Kasai's place and present the name she had chosen.

"The Hot Hero! San Tepu!"

Sero winked at the boys of the class and caused most of them to blush, including the teacher. Izuku internally recited a silent prayer over how he was thankful Mineta wasn't there. "Th- That's good, but maybe just ch- change the tagline. 'Hot' hero is a little too.. uhh, y- yeah, just change that and you're good. The rest is fine!", he stuttered while trying not to hurt the girl's feelings with his critiques.

"Oh, okay! How about 'The Happy Hero', is that good?", Hamina suggested. Izuku frantically nodded, believing anything was better than the prior name she had chosen.

"I wanna go next! Please, let it be my turn!", Carame shot up as Sero returned to her seat.

"Sure thing, Nagaidesu, come on up.", Izuku politely ushered the boy forward.

"The Elastic Hero! Mister Fantastic!"

"AAAHH! UUUHH, THAT NAME IS ALREADY TAKEN! CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE!", Izuku cupped a hand over Carame's mouth while glancing around the class in worry of a lawsuit jumping out.

"I guess that would make _you_ Miss Fantastic.", Yuoro teased Obachaji while elbowing her gently. Kaminari turned a crimson red before whacking Akauna over the head with one of her ear jacks. "OW! I was just joking!"

"You better be, cause, I- I don't like Nagaidesu! He's annoying!", Obachaji huffed while folding her arms in frustration. Yuoro only giggled in response, earning another smack from Kaminari's ear jacks.

"I'll go next.", Jayzon Shimasu volunteered himself while Carame returned to his seat to think of a different hero alias.

"The Mouthy Hero, Upchuck!"

There were a few 'ews' and 'grosses', but Izuku gave it a hesitant thumbs up regardless.

Obachaji glanced at Yuoro with a smirk, "I guess that would make _you_ Miss Upchuck.", exacting the perfect form of payback.

"EW, NO, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!", Akauna burned like a bulb. She was already coming up with a form of revenge to counter Obachaji's revenge.

"Kaminari, would you like to come up and share? I noticed you finished writing something down a little while ago and can't help but be curious.", Izuku stepped between the two girls to ensure a fight didn't break out.

"Oh.. Um, sure..", Obachaji meekly replied before shyly inching her way to the front of the classroom.

"The Shocking Hero.. Overcharge."

The class clapped in approval before Kaminari sighed in relief and returned to her seat. The next to step forward was Verde Tokoyami, who also seemed reluctant about sharing. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"The Hybrid Hero. Kaeru Tori."

"That's cool, it's also two parts like mine!", Hikiyose bolstered Verde. Tokoyami blushed under his feathers and nodded in appreciation before the class joined in on giving compliments.

Yuoro decided to go next and showed the same confidence Hikiyose had when presenting it.

"The Helpful Hero! Tenso Girl!"

The class applauded Akauna before moving on to Shuaka Pqerosu. He breathed in and out to calm himself before slowly presenting what he had written on the eraser board.

"The Shrinking Hero. Small Might."

Izuku smiled as he realized his student must be what some would consider an 'Otaku'. All Might had once been the world's greatest hero, but was long replaced by the next generation. No doubt, the old symbol of peace went down in the history books, but only a true hero fan would come to show appreciation for the classics. Izuku had even considered calling himself 'Small Might' at one point, granted he was much younger then and the name made more sense with Shuaka's quirk.. but still!

"Okay, I think I'm ready to come back up! I've got something new now, and better!", Carame derailed his teacher from his train of thought. Nagaidesu purposely took his time with revealing what he had written.

"The Elastic Hero! Elongated Man!"

"THAT'S TAKEN TOO! Less known.. BUT STILL TAKEN!", Izuku panicked.

After a short lecture about plagiarism with Carame, Izuku called up Iris Todoroki to present her hero alias. She was the last to come up with something to write down and put the most thought into it.

"The Avenging Hero. Vindicator."

The hero title she had chosen clearly showed her point of view on justice, somewhat worrying Izuku that it may even be too much. Regardless, he let her use the name and gave Carame one final chance not to present a name already taken by some other hero.

"The Stretching Hero? Sutoretchi?"

"That one works.", Izuku reassured Nagaidesu. He then began handing out personalized folders regarding internship offers. "Alright, off to lunch you all go. Here are the documents regarding your internship forms. Some of you have quite a lot, so think about it carefully."

…

"Where are you thinking about going, Hikiyose?", Iris asked her friend before biting into her food.

The green haired girl used her fork to play with her food while replying, "I don't really know yet. I mean, my mom wants me to intern with her, but I don't want to.."

"I know what you mean. It's the same thing with my father. The old me would have accepted without a second thought, but now.. I prefer that we don't spend too much time together.", Iris empathized.

"So, if not our parents.. who?", Hikiyose sighed as she shifted through the offers she had available.

"I was thinking someone like Lemilion or Hawks. They have really powerful quirks to hone, so they could potentially teach me how to control and use mine better. Also, they went undercover for a while and got a bad rep from the media during that time. It reminds me of how everyone bashes the vigilante despite all the good he does.", Iris replies.

"Wow, those are really good choices! You got offers from THEM?! That's awesome!", Hikiyose praised her friend.

"I'm sure it's only because I'm the number one hero's daughter.", Iris shrugged.

"Don't downplay yourself like that. They saw your potential and THAT'S why they chose you.", Kasai chimed in while joining the girls at their table with his own tray of food.

"Thanks Kasai, but I really doubt that..", Iris mumbled.

"I know it's true, because I got offers from them too!", Kasai proved it by showing her his offers. Sure enough, Lemilion and Hawks were on the list like he said.

"Oh, looks like I got one from Tokoyami's dad!", Hikiyose beamed while reading her own offers.

"That's wonderful, Midoriya-San, you should do that one!", Todoroki's attitude pepped up.

"You think so?", Hikiyose grinned with excitement.

"Yeah!", Kasai and Iris agreed.

Most of the lunch period went on like this for all of the students, everyone discussing their offers and which was properly suited for them. Obachaji was tasked with the difficult choice between interning under her father or mother. In the end, she decided to go with her dad since she figured her mom mostly spent her time with a talk show rather than fighting crime. Verde had a similar choice with his parents and even Ochaco offered him a place in the internship. The thought of working with Hikiyose's mom was a little weird but also sounded cool to him, it would help him get to know her better anyway.. for teamwork purposes obviously. Hamina was fortunate enough that her parents worked in the field together, so she would be interning under them both. As for the others, they had a more vast range of heroes to choose from. The only one that didn't share information on who they had chosen was Kasai, out of worry that it would upset Iris.

When they had polished off their lunch trays, Hikiyose pulled Iris aside. "Hey, wanna sleep over tonight and talk more about our internships?"

"Oh, that sounds lovely! I don't think my parents will have a problem with it."

"Cool! It'll probably just be us and my dad anyway. I think my mom mentioned a top secret mission taking place tonight.", Hikiyose happily exclaimed.

"Yeah, same with my dad. You think they're working together?", Iris raised an eyebrow in consideration.

"They ARE good friends.", Hikiyose shrugged. While your mom teaming up with the number one hero would be more than enough to brag about, she didn't think of it as anything special since they occasionally visited the house.

When the heroes in training returned to their classroom, they were shocked to see Class 1-B's instructor in place of their own. Mezo Shoji ushered the confused crowd to their seats before Hikiyose held her hand up.

"Where's my dad?", she wondered.

"Yeah, where's Midoriya-Sensei?", Jayzon joined in before the entire class was asking the same question.

"This next period will be focusing on teamwork between my class and you all. It isn't necessarily mandatory for Mr. Midoriya to partake in this lesson, so he's left the teaching to me for now.", Shoji explained.

"I wonder what he could be doing right now..", Hikiyose glanced out the window like she expected him to be ditching work or something.

…

Izuku Midoriya was ditching work to flex his suit some more, opting to make up for lost time as a vigilante. While he couldn't run over to Hosu and back with ample time, he figured he could patrol elsewhere for once. Unfortunately, everyone needed saving everywhere, crime ridden location or not.

The proof was in the pudding as he stopped four purse snatchers and helped get a cat out of a tree. It was only after intervening in the fifth mugging that day that he realized he lost track of time. The sun was beginning to set and Shoji was surely going to be upset that he didn't return like promised.

Izuku's excuse had been that he wanted to get Ochaco a present for their upcoming anniversary. That trick may have been clever enough to help him skip a period, but it wouldn't be enough for half the school day. Momo was probably bound to lecture and ridicule him as well, she could be a pretty harsh boss when she wanted to be. Since it was already too late to head back, he decided to keep patrolling.

A bank alarm blaring was enough to keep his attention, but there looked to be no forced way of entry or getaway format. Izuku was cautious as he sneaked inside, also taking notice that the vault hadn't been opened yet. As his suspicions raised ever higher, he felt something cold captivate his feet. Something was holding him in place! He thought it could be the bank robber for a moment, but soon shivered with a chill as he realized it was ice that encased him. The person responsible was none other than the number one hero himself, Shoto Todoroki.

The half & half hero revealed his hiding place with frost emitting from the hand he shot with. "I apologize for any discomfort, it's no way to thank you for rescuing my daughter. However, you're breaking the law and that puts you on the opposing side. Please surrender and make this easier on us both."

It would be common for anyone, not only Izuku, to panic in a one on one fight against the number one hero. It seems Todoroki set a trap with the false alarm, no doubt Momo's plan. Izuku wouldn't stand a chance fighting head on, his best chance was to flee. He didn't risk speaking, despite the pitch modifier embedded in his mask, he worried Shoto would recognize his voice. Instead, he wasted no time taking action and whipped out a flare from his belt. The spark was enough to temporarily blind Shoto and the miniature burst of flame capable of breaking the ice around his feet.

Todoroki put up a wall of ice in front of him just in case the vigilante went on the offense, but was slightly surprised to see him take the freedom as a chance to run away. The chase was on, Shoto using his quirk to glide along an ice path and catch up easier while Izuku performed parkour to climb up buildings.

A fireball breezed past the vigilante, narrowly missing him. Izuku spun away from the attack and used the change of course to jump to another rooftop. From there, he scrambled up a ledge to reach a flagpole. The rope that hoisted it up and down was easy to pry loose and Izuku then proceeded to use the improvised environmental gear to swing back around and change trajectory yet again. The sudden move caught Shoto off guard and made him pass his target overheard, allowing more time for the vigilante to escape.

Izuku may have been able to get away at that instant, if it weren't for his legs suddenly sinking into the ground. He noticed he wasn't alone on the rooftop, Juzo Honenuki, the number five hero! The vigilante then realized Shoto wasn't alone in his ambush, there was bound to be others giving chase. Not that it would matter anything if he seeped through the ceiling like quicksand! Before his waist could seep through, Izuku pulled out a grappling hook device from his belt and used it as a hoist to escape Juzo's quirk.

The rope line was then burned away by a stray fireball, making Izuku fumble in mid air. He barely had time to maneuver and avoid two more flaming spheres before getting tackled by Juzo. Without wanting to harm a fellow hero, the vigilante simply tossed Honenuki over his head and began running again. His path was then blocked by the arrival of another pro hero, "SMASH!", he exclaimed like a battle cry as his fist created a crater in the roof. The third ranked hero, Lemilion, stood up to face the vigilante.

"While I don't condone any of this, it isn't up to me. Please come quietly.", the blonde and buff hero pulled out a pair of quirk dampening handcuffs. He began to draw nearer as Izuku backed away, becoming surrounded by heroes in the top five listing. The thing about Lemilion, the strength enhancement similar to that of All Might's isn't his only quirk. The birth given quirk is one that allows him to phase through objects, including humans. Izuku took a gamble and ran at the hero, hoping to go through him if Lemilion confused it as an attack. Luckily, the pro hero did, and the vigilante ran straight through them. Nobody expected the illegal hero to keep going though, they stalled for a moment before pursuing.

As he neared the ledge, Izuku was cut off by, "Dark Shadow!", the creature knocked him back. It then shrouded Fumikage Tokoyami like a form of armor. The second ranked hero was now here, only amplifying the dangerous situation for Izuku. Black Ankh allowed the two to form like an exo skeleton on its host, it was a move that helped seal Tokoyami's position in the hero chart. The force was one not to be reckoned with by itself, let alone with the other pros in bound.

To make matters worse, a spotlight was now singling him out as the group of heroes surrounded him. A news copter flew overhead with one also manned by the police. Sirens were wailing in the distance like bells tolling for the vigilante's end. He was severely outnumbered and outgunned, he was cornered.

…

Iris Todoroki and Hikiyose Midoriya were confused about Izuku's whereabouts considering he never came back to class, wasn't there to take them home, and never even returned to the house. However, they were teenage girls, and if this meant they had the place to themselves, it was low key nothing to worry about. The two decided to pop some popcorn and find a movie on TV, Hikiyose in the kitchen while Iris surfed the channels. After Hikiyose got the bag in the microwave, she heard Iris calling her from the living room.

"Midoriya, you have to come see this! Come, look!", Iris beckoned her to the kitchen. Hikiyose wondered why her friend's jaw was on the floor until she looked at the television. The two sat there gawping at the TV screen that was displaying live footage in the news feed.

The vigilante from Hosu was surrounded on a rooftop by several heroes, one of them being Iris's father. The byline read **The Green Shadow Brought Into Light!**

"At least he has a name now..", Hikiyose nervously joked.

The heroes began to advance on the vigilante now called 'The Green Shadow'. Shoto Todoroki led the charge with both sides lit up by his quirk. Fire and ice danced from his hands as he hesitantly reached for the vigilante.

Iris leaned forward in her seat, "Dad..", was all she managed to muster.

The two jumped when the microwave beeped, indicating the popcorn was ready. It was at that same time that The Green Shadow retaliated and astonished the world by taking out the number one hero in one swift motion.

…

Izuku couldn't attack or defend above Shoto's waistline without getting burned or frozen. His best course of action was to duck down and sweep out his opponent's legs. This caught everyone by surprise and allowed him to dash forward while simultaneously activating the smoke concealed in his boots. Juzo turned the floor into quicksand, but couldn't quite place it properly with the dark fog blocking his vision. Still not caught, the vigilante pulled out his specialized taser and attempted to use it on Lemilion to make an opening. As expected, the pro hero made himself intangible and the electricity passed through. Izuku was actually aiming for the power box behind the hero, making it short circuit and explode. The sudden burst of flames made the helicopters reel back and the rooftop shake enough to render everyone off balance.

Tokoyami was the first to recover, Dark Shadow preparing to strike like a viper. Izuku knew there was no possible way to overcome or avoid this attack head on. He was risking exposure of his identity, but it was the only way to escape this encounter. " **Revelry in the dark.** ", Izuku spoke through his voice filter. Despite the deep and scrambled pitch, the voice & phrase was enough to make Dark Shadow recede. Only Izuku and a few others knew about this 'drawback', it was how Fumikage controlled his quirk.

"What?!", Tokoyami was baffled as Dark Shadow evaporated and left him exposed. "How did-", Fumikage didn't get to finish his obvious question before the vigilante placed a pair of quirk dampening cuffs on him. Izuku then followed up with a light kick to knock Fumikage on his ass.

" **Sorry..** ", the vigilante apologized before facing the remaining heroes. Shoto had easily recovered, Juzo regained his bearings, and Lemilion still remained untouched. The situation hadn't changed, Izuku needed to run away and avoid confrontation if he were to make it out of this.

The Green Shadow began to dance with the movements of his opponent's shadows, evading their owner's attacks. Fire and ice streams were ducked under or easily dodged by leaping over. The rooftop in general was hard to avoid, but as long as he kept moving, he could stay ahead of Juzo's quirk. His footing never faltered as he flipped and rolled away from Lemilion's onslaught of several smashes. He didn't bother fighting back since he wanted to avoid harming his friends, also, his fists would probably just go through him anyway. However, the vigilante couldn't keep this up forever, he still needed to escape.

Izuku purposely weaved his dodging closer to the rooftop's ledge, trying to keep as subtle as possible. Whenever he was close enough, he ceased the evasion and allowed a fireball to send him flailing off the building. The direct hit burned right to his core, but the suit's body armor would prevent the second degree burn from being a third degree one. To add to his pain, Izuku fell ten stories right on his back, that was sure to leave a mark. The vigilante tossed and turned while groaning, barely able to recover from the impact. His shaky hands were able to at least activate 'Stealth Mode' on his suit to complete his escape plan. The heroes peering over the ledge wouldn't be able to make him out in the darkness.

Despite being in agonizing pain and on the brink of passing out any second, The Green Shadow as able to crawl through the darkness and use the wall as a support. Just as he was about to vanish from sight, he found himself cut off by another newcomer. Another pro hero in the top five listing had arrived.

The number four ranked hero stood in his way. The vigilante held his breath while steadily standing up. He would rather fight the other five heroes in the top ten listing than this person. He had been hoping this day would never come, that this confrontation would never happen.

 _No. Not her. Anyone but her._ , he mentally pleaded. This person was tasked with bringing down the vigilante and she NEVER failed a mission. Even if that weren't the case, Izuku could NEVER bring himself to fight HER.

The number four ranked hero. Uravity. Ochaco Midoriya.

The unlicensed Hosu vigilante, an outlaw, an illegal hero. The Green Shadow. Izuku Midoriya.

Husband and Wife.

Father and Mother. They both thought about their daughter, Hikiyose, and how she needed them to win this fight. Izuku couldn't go to prison. Ochaco couldn't let the vigilante escape.

Vigilante and Hero … Vigilante versus Hero

 _Why did it have to be her?_

…

 _ **END CHAPTER EIGHT**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **So, it's been a LONG time since the last chapter! I do apologize for that, but hopefully I made this one well worth the wait. SO MUCH HAPPENED THAT NOT EVEN I WAS EXPECTING TO HAPPEN THIS SOON! Such as Hatsume's boyfriend, I planned to have him be Bakugo and for that connection with the 'Deku' name. I just wasn't thinking it'd be a storyline I get into so soon, during so many others! I also wasn't sure how to approach it, I was going to just reveal Katsuki's relationship with her and then have that ominous feeling of 'when will he find out', but there's enough of that as is. That being said, Izuku's vigilante persona now has an official name! The Green Shadow, like you all suggested in the reviews! And we obviously can't forget the cliffhanger with Ochaco and the other heroes closing in on the vigilante. Oh boy, so much just happened! So much WILL happen! I hope you're excited as I am!**_

 _ **Now, we have a lot to get into, so without further ado, ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Maikeru Ketteiakasai: Interesting theory, there's a lot of reviews that may or may not have been sparked by yours that pertain to Kasai and the traitor. I won't say whether he is or not, that's just something you'll have to wait and see to find out. Especially since I'll have a lot of reviews to reply to about the Kasai situation anyways, I'll waste myself out explaining some stuff in those. That being said, I noticed your name has Kasai on the end! Coincidence?**_

 _ **s082829: Green Shadow it is! Hope I can make some use out of that title, add a little flare to it! And as for the Class 1-B situation, I dunno what happened there, there's minor mistakes on my part from time to time I must apologize for. Probably, unfortunately, won't be the last either.. BUT BARE WITH ME!**_

 _ **Jadegem02: Your review brought a smile to my face bigger than All Might's! Something I'm sure a lot of people worry about when writing fanfictions, is how readers will react to OCs and to see that you're liking mine makes me pretty happy! That's an accomplishment I'll relish forever!**_

 _ **JSua: I appreciate you reading through/catching up on all those previous chapters! Welcome to the story, and thanks for all the reviews along the way!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Ah yes, Kasai's quirk does seem like a deadly combination of Toga & Dabi's, doesn't it? Your secondary theory about Bakugo also raises a few questions considering he was just introduced in this chapter, eh? Kasai's parents and his origin will at some point be revealed, until then, I'll try not to give too much away about it. Keep speculating! As for the Green Shadow title, it's grown on me much more with the comparison/examples you made of other color named heroes. **_

_**Sunshine's Armageddon: I can't give the Todorokis a break JUST YET!**_

 _ **looperdoppler: HAHA, YEP! That's one of the more unsubtle literal names I've given the OCs! I loved your review so much, that I ended up making her hero name 'Overcharge' too!**_

 _ **Guest: Incest is Wincest. JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING! So, I'm not saying AT ALL that you or anyone else with that theory is correct. Kasai's parents and all that will be addressed and revealed at the proper time. My counter argument though, would be the go to Luke & Leia example. They were brother and sister, yet kissed, granted they didn't know they were related. Kasai and Iris have never kissed! Not saying they're related though!**_

 _ **Kimar Origami: I could just copy and paste the response above me, but I'm a lazy sack of- yeah. So, anyways, if you'll turn your attention to the response above you, that's my same basic response! Also, thanks, glad you're enjoying it so far!**_

 _ **Ooobserver: You and I are in the same barrel when it comes to the Sports Festival chapter, it came out pretty surprisingly decent in my eyes! Character development and getting readers to like the OC children was a goal in that one, so hopefully I succeeded. (Not that there won't be plenty more.) Which brings us to your statement about Iris, she is in a pretty tough position right now, and it's bound to get rougher! You'll be seeing much more focus on that when the internships come around!**_

 _ **CloakOnMe: Yeah, I originally planned on having Iris, Verde, or Kasai win. It just sorta worked out in the way that she ended up making first place! Which, when I sit back and think about it, isn't all that bad considering the basis of the story. One of the storylines in this, has to do with the title: Quirkless! Izuku failed to become a hero since he's quirkless, and we're seeing what the ulterior is for him now. Hikiyose is the story in which a quirkless can succeed and potentially become a hero. It's like a, where Izuku failed, his daughter will prevail kind of thing. I'm not saying that it'll stay that way one hundred percent and she becomes a hero, but as of this chapter, she managed to fulfill that somewhat unintentional vibe. All in all, I appreciate the feedback and follow + fav! Hope to hear more from you next chapter!**_

 _ **Speaking of next chapter.. Ochaco VS Izuku! Will Green Shadow be caught, unmasked, or escape? What about the surprise chemistry between Katsuki and Mei? When, will, or how will the whole knowing 'Deku' thing come full circle? At least one of those things will be answered.. NEXT TIME!**_

 _ **~MentalMind (Forgot my electronic signature last time, and I will NEVER forgive myself!)**_


	9. Causatum

"YOU WENT AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT!", Izuku Midoriya was irate as he stood up from his chair. Whoever else occupied the room was surprised by the sudden outburst, the teacher had never acted so brashly before. They had specifically chosen him for his job BECAUSE of his decisive reasoning and calculative mind. For Izuku to lose his temper like this, must have meant that they really messed up.

Despite the sharp shouting making her flinch a little, Momo Todoroki remained composed with her arms folded and legs crossed over a pencil skirt. She let out a long and drawn out sigh while nodding in agreement with the truthful accusation. "I understand why you're upset, but please refrain from any outbursts.", Momo pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. She was hoping that the trap would have worked, if she had the vigilante in custody, this discussion would have been much more in her favor.

Izuku was about to retaliate with another loud argument, but snapped out of the rage by the soothing touch of his wife. Ochaco Midoriya smoothed her hand along his back in a perpendicular motion, the light massage was a non verbal message to calm down & relax. His eyes fixed on hers, seeing the same shameful expression that Momo held. He couldn't bare to look directly into them, turning his head away with his own burden of guilt to carry. Not only had he snapped at one of his closest friends when she probably already felt bad about her actions, but he had humiliated everyone in the room by escaping. The top five pro heroes couldn't handle capturing one person, and it was all caught on live television. He lowered himself back into his seat and let out his own hefty sigh. This whole thing was a mess..

The boardroom was completely filled this time, like a council of heroes. The only one who hadn't joined the meeting was the number one listing, Shoto Todoroki. His wife, Momo, hadn't offered any reasoning or excuses for his absence by the sheer luck of nobody having the courage to ask. Izuku felt the guilt in his heart amplify as he speculated it was because Shoto felt a massive amount of shame over the loss. He wasn't the only one to suffer a huge blow to his ego, all the heroes that worked to capture The Green Shadow and failed were under ridicule by the press. Still, the number one, that didn't sit well with anyone.

"I'm sorry that we didn't take your perception into account. However, you were absent at the time of the meeting in which we discussed our strategy.", Momo nearly choked on her own words since she felt like it was a low blow. Still, Mezo Shoji had informed her that Izuku ran off in the middle of school hours. Her job as the principal held high on her list of priories, and she had to discipline her staff.

"I apologize. If I had know it were taking place, I would have considered it mandatory and stayed.", Izuku slightly bowed in his chair. This seemed to satisfy Momo and Shoji for the time being, both of them nodding in forgiveness. A deafening silence fell over the room as they glanced at one another, expecting someone else to speak. The mood was unsettling and everyone was in a woeful state of mind.

"Now that some of us have voiced our frustrations, perhaps we should discuss our next move.", Fumikage Tokoyami spoke up with eagerness to move things along. Ever since the meeting was called, he hadn't taken his eyes off of Izuku Midoriya, like he was examining every movement and every word. The green haired teacher took notice and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, he felt singled out by the gaze.

"Excellent suggestion, thank you, Tokoyami.", Momo agreed. The principal leaned forward in her chair to firmly address the assembly. "We shall begin by fixating on The Green Shadow's quirk. The more we know about him, the better we can be prepared for next time. Mrs. Midoriya would like to share some personal insight, apparently something that could help us further deduce the vigilante's identity.", this statement made Izuku shudder and earned a harder stare from Tokoyami.

"Wait, quirk?", Izuku accidentally blurted out his thoughts. "I mean, uh, he showed off his quirk to you? Wh- What was it?", he then hastily tried to salvage himself through a stuttering mess. It was Ochaco's turn to stand up and address the room filled with heroes. While she would speak to nobody directly, her eyes were focused on her husband as if to answer his question.

…

 _The Green Shadow seemed almost hesitant to fight Uravity. His only path to escape was blocked, forcing him to take a few steps back, though they looked to be in fear of something. The helicopters circling the rooftops above seemed to find this moment to be the right time to shine a search light into the alley. The cameras were off of the outmaneuvered heroes and now focused on the showdown between Uravity & The Green Shadow. If this were an Opera filled with drama, the spotlight perfectly illuminated the two fighters._

 _The vigilante had been avoiding conflict this entire time, opting to run away rather than fight. He seemed to know that Ochaco Midoriya could only activate her quirk if all five fingers were placed on her target or an object. The gravity defying power was similar to how Tomura Shigaraki's Decay quirk was used. The Green Shadow was used to dodging things far more dangerous than a person's touch, so evading her hands should have been a simple feat. However, in the time that it took him to formulate a technique to last longer, she had already used the opportunity to rush forward and smack him._

 _Already, The Green Shadow could feel the quirk taking effect. His gravity had been taken away, causing him to float into the night sky. Thanks to quick thinking, and Mei Hatsume's inventions, the vigilante was capable to counter the attack. Izuku activated the soles of his gloves & boots, firmly planting them into the side of a helicopter and sticking in place. The aircraft swerved a little bit from the sudden contact, but the vigilante stayed in place._

" _An adherent quirk?!", Ochaco thought. She and the others had no clue they were fighting somebody quirkless, the way he was evading capture, they figured he had a powerful quirk. Little did they know, he was barely getting by with Hatsume's gadgets. Reluctantly, Uravity had to deactivate her quirk on the vigilante so the helicopters wouldn't be in jeopardy. "Release!", and The Green Shadow stayed firmly planted on the side of the aircraft._

 _The vigilante must have felt the quirk's effects where off though, because he was then jumping to a skyscraper and sticking to that next. The wall crawler worked his way up fast, trying to evade the spotlight and stay out of sight. By now, the pros were back in action and giving way to the chase. Shoto Todoroki blocked the vigilante's path with fire and worked his way up with an ice path. Lemilion helped Fumikage break free of the quirk dampening cuffs and joined Juzo as the Calvary._

 _The Green Shadow seemed to wait for them to catch up before detaching himself from the wall, jumping back towards the alley in which Ochaco resided. That's when they realized they had been tricked, he waited to lure them as far away as he could, and hoped to return to his original escape route. All the vigilante had to do was get past Uravity, and he'd get away._

 _He threw projectiles to the side of her, catching Ochaco off guard and doing its job as a distraction. She was confused as to why he deliberately missed until The Green Shadow vaulted over her and used capture tape to bind her wrists. She would be ineffective from here out due to the limited body movements and quirk. This was all the vigilante needed to escape in another burst of black smoke from his boots, pulling a vanishing act. Ochaco cursed under her breath and looked at the throwing stars that had missed her completely, blaming them for her failure._

 _Not long after that, Shoto Todoroki joined her via ice path. His fire quirk was used to burn away the restraints and free Ochaco. She frantically ripped away at the melting material, "He's getting away!", she scanned the area with her eyes for the vigilante._

" _The others are sweeping the area, they've gotten farther than we could catching up.", Todoroki replied coolly. He remained more composed than the frazzled heroine despite having a scowl on his face. Ochaco looked back towards the throwing stars that had embedded themselves in brick or concrete. She fell for the vigilante's distraction. It was her fault. She knew Shoto must have felt the same way about the trick he fell for._

" _Why didn't you go with them?", Uravity wondered. She would have been helped out of the capture tape later, surely the number one hero should have gone after their intended target. She felt she wasn't worth all the trouble and her shoulders sagged when thinking about the part she played in the vigilante's escape._

 _Shoto shrugged before walking into the same abyss the vigilante had vanished in. "It wouldn't have helped anyways. By now, The Green Shadow got away. This was our one chance to catch him, and we missed it by a long shot."_

 _Ochaco sighed before joining him in the darkness. Shoto was right, they failed._

…

"This far, we've been able to piece together the following. The Green Shadow has access to capture tape, our biggest clue, an item only accessible to heroes with license. We believe his quirk has to do with adhesive properties. Last, but not least, he showcased several gadgets. This could be because he's some sort of inventor or he could have one working for him.", Momo summarized the information gathered.

"I'll have the authorities run a check on anyone filed under quirks that allows them to cling to surfaces.", Lemilion finally chimed in. Momo nodded in appreciation.

"And let's not forget his hesitance to attack any of us. The vigilante seemed more keen to get away, rather than defeat us in combat.", Fumikage's gaze on Izuku finally shifted. The green haired teacher would have been relieved, if it didn't go to Ochaco next. Izuku felt a lump form in his throat as he thought about Tokoyami piecing together the evidence. He hadn't shared the information about casting away Dark Shadow and seemed to link things together. Izuku swallowed his worry and went back to listening for the time being.

"That should have been his downfall. Yet, the vigilante prevailed.", Juzo growled in annoyance.

"We'll be better equipped next time. Given the proper time and teamwork, we can formulate a solid plan of attack and capture him when we get a second chance.", Momo reassured the quicksand hero and everyone else that looked unsettled. "For now, the meeting is adjourned. Shoji and Midoriya have classes to teach."

With that, everyone broke apart and began leaving. Ochaco gave Izuku a quick peck on the lips before saying goodbye. Neither one needed nor could exchange words about the events transpired and had their jobs to perform. However, Izuku didn't skid by completely, he considered himself unlucky when Fumikage requested to speak with him in a private setting. The two found a quiet and desolate hall to talk in before Tokoyami started the conversation.

"Midoriya, thank you for giving me a moment of your time. I wished to discuss the vigilante topic a little further with you, considering you weren't present during the battle.", Fumikage folded his arms in expectancy of a response.

"O- Of course, Tokoyami, I'm always available to t- talk. What's on your mind?", Izuku couldn't hide a nervous stutter as Fumikage stared him down like in the boardroom. Up close, it was much more intimidating and he felt like he was being interrogated by the gaze itself.

"When your wife shared sensitive details, I kept something to myself. You see, I had a personal standoff with the vigilante. What caught me by surprise, was that he spoke my old mantra. Only a select few know this phrase is used to calm Dark Shadow. My suspicions were only confirmed with the discovery of the vigilante using capture tape. Someone in our ranks is the vigilante.", Tokoyami explained the situation and didn't waver once.

Izuku felt himself sweating, the piece of news felt more like an accusation than anything. Tokoyami may have been insinuating something, but Midoriya wasn't willing to let himself slip up just yet. "And.. you didn't share this with the others out of worry that one of them is the vigilante. You wanted to only tell people you could trust..", Izuku spoke carefully & hopefully.

Fumikage was reluctant to nod in response. "Out of all of us, you have the most brilliant mind. You are calculative of everyone's quirks and more strategic than even Mrs. Todoroki. If anyone has a chance of figuring out who he is or capturing the vigilante, it would be you. However, it's also for this reason that I had reason to suspect you as the vigilante. You were absent for quite a long period of time. It wasn't until Shoji told me your intentions of getting a gift for Mrs. Midoriya that I realized it could never be you to oppose us."

Izuku sighed in relief at this, he felt he was in the clear. Even so, he had to keep up with the act. "So, who do you think it is?", he hated lying to his friends & family like this.

"I was hoping that _you_ would shed some insight on that. However, that looks to not be the case..", Fumikage paused and made eye contact with Izuku for a moment. "Whoever the vigilante may be.. I have something I would like to tell him. He needs to stop. If not for the sake of his friends, then for his family. For his wife and daughter, he should give up the pointless crusade."

Izuku expected some sort of impact to be felt, like his heart plummeting or clenching, but it never came. A wholesome form of calm overcame him, like he simply became numb and light. "There's probably a reason why he became a vigilante in the first place. Maybe it was to protect that keepsake, to protect his friends and family. I think a hero, license or not, would help people and stop criminals for the sake of their child and wife."

The two stood in the empty hallway, exchanging no words. After the moment passed, Fumikage formed a small smile on his beak and placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I think that would be a honorable reason.", but then the grip slackened and the smirk faded. "However.. it is still our duty to capture the vigilante.. whoever he is."

Izuku returned the small smile and nodded before the two went their separate ways.. probably to search for the vigilante.. whoever he is.

…

The class couldn't stop talking about what the world had witnessed last night. The top five pro heroes in the listing failed to capture an outlaw undergoing vigilantism. The battle was wild and many of the students believed The Green Shadow was holding back since he didn't actually punch any of them. Even when their homeroom teacher, Izuku Midoriya, entered the classroom, nobody quieted down. Izuku chuckled nervously as he heard praise for the vigilante among children's screaming. He had to readjust his red tie, it felt like it was too close to his neck and ready to strangle him. The tan suit was different from his usual attire and would have stood out if not for the greater topic. Hikiyose was the only student that knew what it meant, being the sensei's daughter gave her that slight advantage. Whenever her father wore that specific outfit, it was usually to announce something big.

"Okay everyone, settle down. I know yesterday was quite eventful, but this is also an important day.", Izuku finally managed to silence a few of his students. "I've been informed by the principal herself that some of you turned in your internship choices already. Considering you only had two days to do so, that should have been considered a good thing. However, we're concerned recent events may have wavered some of your choices.."

Iris Todoroki lowered her head, she seemed to be cowering from the many eyes on her. Izuku felt a pain twinge in his chest at the sight, he felt guilty for causing such shame on the family name. She seemed to still be taking notes and listening to her teacher though, it must be an attempt to get her mind off things.

"People may not see it always, but even heroes tend to fail. After all, they're only human. We shouldn't hold one loss against them. If you're going to do that, then you should also be frowning upon _me_.", the class collectively gasped at this statement. "Remember the incident at the U.S.J? I failed you all, the villains beat me in battle. Yet, nobody shamed me for it.. and that was a _villain_. The vigilante wasn't the one holding back, it was the heroes. They didn't want to harm someone trying to do some good, but it's the law that they bring him in just alike. You scold them for that? For showing compassion and humility?", the speech got its point across to the entire class. However, Izuku was staring directly at Iris, and she felt it was meant to reassure her. The white haired girl gave him a thankful smile and he returned the favor.

Hikiyose had also listened intently, she thought about her mother and how she was easily outmaneuvered. She idolized the vigilante, but she also loved her mom. Seeing the two cross paths had made her reconsider plenty. Now her father was saying what the media didn't, the truth. Neither of them had tried their hardest, and neither of them were to blame. Both could be looked up to in their own unique ways. She glanced at Iris and her dad, being the third to smile.

"That being said, anyone that wants to resubmit their internship forms, now is the opportunity to speak up.", Izuku turned his attention to the rest of his class. Unsurprisingly, nearly all of them stood up with their hands raised. "By the end of the day, I expect your new choices on my desk.", Izuku smiled.

…

 _A young boy clambered onto a stool so he could be the same height as his bathroom's mirror. The reflection was full of excitement, the child was eager to enact his plan. The tools to perform his task were common items like cotton swabs or rubbing alcohol. The kid applied the cool liquid to his face with small dabs from a q-tip. It took hours to get the pattern properly applied, but when it was ready, his face beamed with a proud smile._

 _The boy leaped from the stool and ran for the kitchen in which his mother resided. The white haired woman stirred a pot of curry as she heard the patter of her son's footsteps heading her way. "Mom, look! Look at me, mom!", the boy called out to her with such enthusiasm. She smiled warmly and turned around to face her son._

" _Yes, what is it dear?", she couldn't help but joyfully chuckle at her son's toothy grin. The youthful years of children were always the best ones. They were always so happy and naive.. incredibly naive._

" _I look like dad!", the kid exclaimed. Then, flames burst out from the child's pores. Smoldering blue fire flickered and danced on the selected parts of his flesh, quite the opposite from his red spiked hair. The kid's agonized screams became desperate cries for help, "DDAAAD!", he yelled._

He closed his eyes, like that would shield him from the distant memory. Just because he couldn't see the lasting scars in the mirror, didn't mean they weren't there. His red hair had been blackened like his soul, as dark as the ash that rained down from his burning skin all those years ago. It still burned, the flesh around his neck and chin. He didn't bother crying, the tears wouldn't sooth the still smoldering feeling around his eyes. The boy had become a man, even as an adult, he held himself close like that distant day. His arms were covered in burn marks too, a constant reminder of his mistake.

 _The boy pleadingly looked up from the floor, his father had heard his cries for help. His dad was a hero, one of the best, surely he'd save his own son! Back then, the tears didn't wash away the fire either. All the water did was block his vision of the man that looked down on him.. constantly looked down on him. The blurred image of a muscular burning man, one who was unaffected by the flames, shook his head in pity. No.. not pity.. in shame._

" _Dad..?", the kid begged in between sobs. Despite the constant pain, he managed to stop screaming. It may have been because his throat was burning too.._

" _You will only be able to call me that when you're able to control your flames.", the imposing figure turned his back on the boy and didn't look back._

" _Such a failure."_

" _So useless."_

Cracks in his reflection, covered in red dabs of blood. This was a result of the man punching the mirror and the shattered glass ripping into his knuckles. Shards jutted out of his hand, the warm liquid coating it and running down his arm. It felt the opposite of what he coated himself in that day, the igniting fluid had been cold to the touch. His permanently burned arm was covered in red now, much like his fire should have been.

The man glanced back up at the damaged mirror to see cracks of his former self mixed in with the present image. It was only gone when he reactivated the blue flames that covered those portions of his body. They didn't hurt now, they didn't burn. He had finally managed to control his fire.

"Dabi, he's here.", a feminine voice snapped him out of the daze. It was just Himiko Toga, the crazed blonde was beckoning for him like he had cried out for his father. The patchwork villain gritted his teeth and shook his head as that memory kept replaying in his head. "Dabi!", Toga called for him again.

"Tell him I'll speak to him when he accomplishes his task! Until then, I wish to not be disturbed."

Then Dabi turned his back on the people waiting for him, and didn't look back.

…

The hustle and bustle of the train station nearly rocked the huddled group of starts apart. Luckily, Izuku Midoriya kept his class close and consistently made sure they were with him at all times. The students carried briefcases with them and other forms of luggage that varied from backpacks to actual traveling gear. It was time that he see them off, Izuku felt like a parent letting go of his kids all over again. He promised himself that he wouldn't cry and struggled to fight back the prideful tears.

"You've got your costumes, right? Wearing them in public is strictly prohibited, but don't drop them!", Izuku made sure they brought what they needed for their internships like a parent helping their kids pack. He even considered asking if they brought their toothbrushes and enough socks, but figured it would be too embarrassing for Hikiyose.

The children vigorously nodded and gave a slur of reassuring 'yeahs' or 'yes sirs'. They then departed on their respective trains or waited for their particular ones to arrive. Hikiyose and Iris happened to be waiting at the same station and Izuku took that as an opportunity to speak with them.

"Dad, what are you doing over here?", Hikiyose groaned and already knew what was coming. She was right, it was a huge hug.

"I wanted to see you off, ya know, give you one last goodbye!", Hikiyose practically had to pry her father off. If it was up to Izuku, the hug would have lasted forever and she would have missed her train. "You too Young Todoroki, good luck on your internship!", he then turned to the other girl in their presence.

"Oh, thanks Mr. Midoriya.. um, for what you said in class too.", Iris shyly replied while rubbing her arm anxiously. Her gaze shifted to a pillar, drawing Izuku's attention and making him look too. He could have sworn he saw someone hiding behind it, but upon further inspection, there was no way.

"I meant every word I said. If you ever want to talk about anything, don't hesitate.", Izuku reassuringly told Shoto and Momo's daughter. He believed he owed it to them, even if he didn't, this was their daughter! He would treat her like Hikiyose, like his own child!

Iris bowed in appreciation, "Thanks again, for everything."

Izuku would have said more, but his time ran thin and he was forced to give one last goodbye filled hug before they boarded their train. He waved to them on the platform, only Iris returned the gesture from the window seat while Hikiyose tried to hide her embarrassingly flushed face. Once they were gone, Izuku broke down and nearly flooded the station with tears. Even though he'd be alone and capable of performing more vigilante justice, he would miss them all.

…

Izuku Midoriya then returned home and prepared to end his casual day with a TV dinner. After that, he'd burn off the calories by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It wasn't the ideal workout, but he considered it multi-tasking at best. However, there was lingering worry that Momo and the others would pull another surprise assault on him. Granted, his activities were normally in Hosu and what happened was just a result of bad timing & choices. It still warped his mind though, he couldn't have that kind of negativity out in the field or it would get him killed..

He tapped his foot impatiently while the boxed dinner spun in the microwave. He contemplated ways to pass the time. He wanted to call Ochaco and speak to her about the vigilante confrontation, but couldn't bring himself to do it. So many lies and secrets, the fact they had to fight one another and the consequences that ensued was too much already. He thought about suiting up, but worried he'd spill some of the food on the costume. His hand found the phone in his pocket, thumbing it and willing to dial Hikiyose. It was only natural for a father to worry about his daughter.. The time seemed to pass with his many thoughts, the microwave beeping to indicate his dinner was ready.

It was only when Izuku sat down that he realized channel surfing would have probably been the best time killer. Clicking through stations lasted for what felt like nearly an hour, his food was probably cold by now. Come on though, you can't eat something without finding a proper show first! Izuku sighed as he skimmed the news, all they talked about was the heroes fighting The Green Shadow. With no hero report this time around or any other enticing stories, he decided the news was out of the mix. The drama shows were getting on his nerve with forced relationships and stupid plots. He'd already seen most of the movies playing. It looked like he would just have to watch anime, his only redeemer.

Just as Izuku finally settled on a show to watch and hit 'play', the doorbell rang. Looks like deciding not to wear the vigilante costume while eating was a good idea.. Izuku huffed in annoyance before pausing the episode and setting his food aside. He shuffled towards the door and sighed since he really wasn't wanting to deal with company, especially an unexpected visit. Before the doorbell could ring again, he called out, "I'm coming!"

Izuku unlocked the door before opening it, not really sure who he was expecting to see on the other side. Whoever he thought it could be, it surely wasn't a pink haired mechanic! Mei Hatsume, the woman that saved his life and made him a bunch of gadgets, was standing at his doorstep! Izuku could practically feel his face turn pale, "H- How.. d- did you find me?"

It wasn't difficult to figure out **why** she seeked him out. Izuku figured it had to do with all the attention he was getting, she probably got excited (or upset) upon seeing her 'babies' on television. It was just the **how** part that baffled Izuku. He worried that something was given away on the footage, or that perhaps the media finally put two and two together. Izuku cursed himself for using capture tape and displaying other moves that could be linked back to him. Maybe Mei made a deal with the police and this was part of some plan to turn him in! Izuku thought of thousands of ways to escape if that were the case, but didn't act on any of them until hearing Hatsume's reasoning.

"My boyfriend told me _everything_!", the pink haired mechanic grinned with her usual enthusiasm. She looked eager to ask questions and discuss things as much as Izuku was. Mei constantly tried peering through the doorway or a window to see inside his house, wanting to know what the Hosu vigilante's life style was like.

"Your b- boyfriend?! EVERYTHING?!", Izuku squeaked. Now there was more than one question, there was practically hundreds! _What does she mean by_ _everything_ _?! How does her boyfriend even know who I am, let alone_ _everything_ _?!_ "Who is your boyfriend?!", Izuku practically shouted the question.

Things didn't get any easier when a literal blast from the past stepped into view. The blonde man glared at Izuku with his usual intensity, the red eyes showed no signs of compassion or remorse. They were the same eyes he looked into as a defenseless child while the bully burned and beat on him. "Heya 'Deku'.. long time.. no see.", then came the gleeful grin Izuku always trembled upon seeing.

"K- Kacchan.."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER NINE**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Since you all like cliffhangers so much, here's another one! MUHAHAHAA!**_

 _ **I actually have quite a lot to say in this chapter's author's notes, but I'll save it for later. For now.. ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Oh, the 'Revelry in the Dark' bit was solely based on Fumikage's mantra from the anime. (I don't recall him saying it in the manga, but feel like he did..) I had no clue a story revolving around Tokoyami existed like that until now, and I have to thank you for bringing it up, because it's really good from what I've read so far! I really like the elevator idea and may end up shouting out the story in a different way. Such as, Fumikage or Tsuyu confessed their love in a similar elevator situation and that's how they started dating/married. If I end up writing it in or not, that should be considered canon to this particular story haha! So, thanks again for telling me about that story! As for Dabi and Shoto, you'll be seeing plenty more of them as I dive into their past via flashbacks and that whole 'going after Iris' storyline.**_

 _ **Mystery kid02: I could never leave out Bakugo! If you liked his appearance last chapter and this one, then you're gonna love the next one!**_

 _ **Jadegem02: I doubt this cliffhanger tops the last one, but it probably won't be the last! I hope the confrontation continuation was acceptable and sorry again for the wait, I'll try and keep updates frequent from here on!**_

 _ **Ooobserver: Oh yeah, all the toys – I mean, 'babies' – will be super fun to come up with and incorporate! You were also spot on about the aftermath, as you can see, there's a lot of fallout to clean up. As for the cliffhangers, I just HAVE to write in some drastic ones now! I wonder if this chapter's was any better or on par with the last.. eh, I'll keep topping them anyway!**_

 _ **TheOkWriter: Honestly, I considered simply dubbing Izuku 'Vigilante' at one point! I also pondered different costume designs, but I wanted to stay true to the source material in this story. For those who read 'Have Fear, For I Am Here', know that I drifted off from canon.. okay, I REALLY drifted off from canon! So, this story is trying to pay a little more homage!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: Oh, I hadn't realized it was somewhat confusing when I wrote it like that. The crater was actually created by Lemilion (Mirio Togata) using a 'Smash'. Since he was originally supposed to be All Might's successor according to Nighteye, and Izuku never received One For All in this story, I ended up giving him that power. I didn't want to make him Number One though, since that would be a little too expected.. and I really like Todoroki + Tokoyami. So, I settled on making him Number Three. (If you watch the anime only, disregard everything I just said, it may or may not be from the manga..)**_

 _ **purpleflowers10: Thank you for the kind words, I'll definitely try to upload new chapters more often!**_

 _ **Annnd, looks like that's all the reviews for now. Time to address a few things!**_

 _ **Some of you may have noticed Dabi's origin is based on the ever so popular fan theory. I don't quite know the exact person to give credit to, but the whole burning himself on accident when trying to look like his father thing was based on some really cool fanart I saw a long time ago on Instagram. Same goes for the part where Endeavor called him useless and walked away. I tweaked it a little so I wasn't straight up plagiarizing, but I wanted to pay some homage at the very least.**_

 _ **The other thing I wanted to mention in this author note, actually pertains to you all and gets YOU involved in the story! Yay, right?! To make it short and simple, the internships are coming up, and I haven't decided on who will be going to work with who yet. I COULD just be selfish and decide for myself, but where's the fun in that? If you have any suggestions for particular students, let it be know! I may also need to create some more OC heroes and/or villains, so if you're willing to loan one to me, I could also potentially write that person in!**_

 _ **Alright, as much as I love to ramble, that'll be it for now! I hope to see you in the next chapter, where questions will be answered about Bakugo and his involvement & the internships can finally begin! **_

_**~MentalMind**_


	10. Blast From The Past

_The villains were attacking again, but they were targeting someone other than All Might this time. Mandalay from the Wild Wild Pussycats hero team used her telepathy quirk to inform them the squad of villains were trying to get their evil hands on a STUDENT now! Their prey just so happened to be the person Izuku Midoriya got paired up with, and his childhood friend turned bully turned rival! The two were teenagers still training to become heroes, they had merely gotten lucky with loads of backup during the last assault. Now, the two were on their own and this attack seemed much more calculated than the first. A massive blue wildfire incinerated the forest and filled it with ash that threatened to suffocate them. Purple poisonous toxin filled the air and forced them to go in a certain direction if they wanted to avoid it. The two boys were being lured like fish in a barrel and they probably stood less of a chance than actual fish would!_

 _Izuku fell behind the brash and arrogant explosive boy, Katsuki Bakugo used his quirk to blast & propel himself forward at a faster pace. The blonde was eager to fight actual villains again, the thrill of letting loose with his destructive quirk driving him head first into action. Izuku was quite the opposite, he was quirkless and relied on martial arts he'd learned over a course of time. Even with a certain set of fighting skills, he wasn't prepared to test them out on somebody stronger than him. Izuku suggested they try to regroup with the others to keep Bakugo safe, but Katsuki wouldn't listen. The blonde was more intent on being a full fledged offense rather than defense. _

_Much like the villains planned, Dabi's fire and Mustard's gas led them straight to a clearing like mice in a maze. The man made of mist who created transportation portals during the U.S.J attack was waiting for them there, along with the ringleader covered in severed hands. Kurogiri and Tomura Shigaraki, the two head honchos that ordered and controlled The League Of Villains. If that weren't clearly enough to outmatch Katsuki & Izuku, they had another muscular bodyguard. Last time, it was a monstrous creature called Nomu created to kill All Might. This new guy was actually human, but looked equally as terrifying. The hulking villain had a robotic eye that focused on the teenagers with murderous intent._

 _Izuku turned to grab Bakugo and pull him away, knowing that the hot head would rush them without reasoning. Before the green haired boy could reach him though, Katsuki was rocketing through the air via controlled palm explosions. "You bastards wanted me?! HERE I AM!", the blonde roared like a battle cry before delivering a blast aimed at Tomura Shigaraki. Kurogiri was able to counter the attack with a gateway and warped Bakugo's explosion to ignite behind Izuku Midoriya. The blast easily rendered the quirkless hero in training immobile, the injuries looked quite severe since it was a head on collision. Katsuki was now on his own in the fight and cursed Izuku for being taken out so quickly. "Damn you, Deku, you're so useless! You quirkless piece of shit, get up! You've handled some of my bigger blasts before! Don't be such a pussy!", the blonde was irate._

 _Izuku could barely manage to lift his throbbing head and watch through blurry vision as the trio of villains advanced on Katsuki Bakugo. Something wet stained his eyes and made it harder to keep them open as he watched the blonde boy get overpowered. Tears? No, he wasn't crying. The liquid was making his vision red, he was bleeding from a gash, Izuku's head had been split open from the impact. All Midoriya could do, was helplessly watch as Bakugo struggled to evade capture._

" _Muscular, I've grown impatient. Finish this.", Shigaraki gave orders to the hulk who had a robotic eye. Izuku thought he had suffered such a severe concussion, that he was witnessing a hallucination. The massive man suddenly augmented the muscle fibers beneath his skin, turning it into a form of armor for himself and probably providing enhanced strength. Bakugo's blasts stood no chance against the villain's flesh shield, barely leaving a mark no matter how big the explosion. Muscular didn't even flinch at any of Katsuki's attacks, he just continued grinning like a mad man. Bakugo didn't have much fight left in him after that, the hulking bad guy was able to finish him off with just a few punches._

 _Izuku was forced to witness the entire kidnapping, unable to move a single one of his own aching body parts. All Midoriya could manage was a pleading shout, "Kacchan!", he was completely useless. Bakugo was right, he couldn't do anything. Katsuki gave him an accurate nickname, he was just a worthless Deku. Izuku's fingers dug into the dirt as he desperately tried to crawl forward, but only ended up digging in one place. The villains had captured Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku blamed himself for it.. after all, he had done nothing to help._

 _Muscular hoisted the unconscious blonde over his shoulder and began carrying him like a sack of potatoes. Kurogiri opened a warp gate for the massive villain to go through and Tomura Shigaraki took the time to taunt Izuku. "Some hero you are kid, you can't even save your own friends.", the blue haired menace let out a maniacal laugh that actually sounded genuine before vanishing into the portal. Kurogiri was the last to leave, giving one last glance to the injured boy, yellow slits meeting green pleading eyes. Izuku reached out with a trembling hand._

" _Kacchan!"_

…

"Kacchan!"

"Aren't you gonna invite us in?", the grin plastered on Bakugo's face somehow stretched even farther. Izuku swallowed any words that came to mind and stepped aside with a gesture that meant the two could come inside. The old friends locked eyes with one another as Katsuki walked by, both of them searching for a glimmer of what was going on in their minds. Hatsume didn't seem to notice the two of them had an unspoken feud as she followed suite. Izuku realized his hand was still on the door handle, gripping it as hard as he possibly could, any stronger and the knob would probably break. With a self assuring sigh, he released the hold and pushed the door shut behind himself & his visitors.

"Whoa, I didn't expect your house to look so.. normal!", Mei blurted out her thoughts like usual while taking in her surroundings. The pink haired woman spun in a three sixty to get a complete view of the living room, seeing that Izuku was joining the vicinity. Katsuki seemed to be looking things over too, his examination seemed to be much more thorough though. The only thing that drew his attention away from inspecting things was what Hatsume said next, "Didn't you say you had a wife? Where's she at? I'd love to meet her!"

Bakugo's toothy grin was dangerously close to going past his ears and leaping off his face at this point. "Yeah, how's 'Round Face' been?", this was another one of Bakugo's insulting nicknames, one particularly given to Ochaco during their time at U.A. Mei looked at her boyfriend with a shocked expression, indicating she was just as surprised as Izuku that the blonde knew the vigilante's wife. Katsuki's expression became more of a cautious smirk as he waited for the two to stop gawping, making Izuku realize that Bakugo didn't know for a fact Ochaco married him. 'Kacchan' had merely been speculating since the two were obviously crushing over one another during the hero course. His guess had been spot on though, and it worried Izuku how Katsuki still knew him so well, even after all this time.

"Ochaco is doing well, thank you. She actually just left for a mission and won't be back for quite some time, sorry that you missed her, I'm sure she would have loved to meet you too.", Izuku decided to play along while he could. Hatsume seemed innocent enough, she was probably oblivious to the situation, unless it were all an act. Katsuki's smug grin returned when he got confirmation on his theory about 'Round Face' marrying 'Deku'.

"Oh, well, some other time then!", Mei hid her disappointment with the usual positive attitude she held. She went back to discreetly snooping while Izuku nodded politely in agreement with her suggestion. While Hatsume and Ochaco would probably get along just fine, he shivered at the thought of the two conspiring behind his back. Linking your wife with a female friend never ended well, it was always their companionship that came before men. Izuku couldn't really say the same thing when it came to 'bros before hoes', especially when 'Kacchan' was the 'bro'. There was also the concern of his secret getting leaked, he couldn't risk anything that meant Ochaco would find out about his alter ego.

"She's right, we could start going on double dates! Think about how great it would be for us all to catch up!", Bakugo chimed in. He tried matching his girlfriend's cheerful tone, but it sounded incredibly forced and all around fake. Something about the way he said it made Izuku uncomfortable, 'Deku' didn't want that reunion to happen any time soon. The thought of Katsuki or Hatsume spilling the beans about his nightly heroics to Ochaco made him grimace, he'd have to make it crystal clear that this wasn't a secret to be airing out like laundry.

"Speaking of 'catching up', I think Kacchan has some explaining to do. I haven't seen him in years, and he suddenly knows everything about me like we're next door neighbors?", Izuku cocked a curious eyebrow. Mei raised _both_ her eyebrows with a similar inquisitive manner, she looked at her boyfriend like everything he told her had been lies. Bakugo's smile faltered for a little bit, making Izuku worry that Hatsume's reaction pissed him off. However, Katsuki's grin soon returned as he prepared to share the explanation with Izuku and Mei.

"It was just a twist of fate. I saw you leaving her workshop one night and asked about it. You wouldn't believe my joy when she called you 'Deku', it brought back so many memories. I didn't really expect you to still be throwing around that nickname I gave you, I'm touched.", Bakugo lightly laughed. The blonde seemed so casual the way he explained everything, like the mere coincidence wasn't some cruel misfortune for Izuku. "As for your 'evening activities', Mei accidentally assumed I already knew. You can't really blame her, I might have made it sound like we kept in contact after school. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I meant we were really good friends as kids.", Katsuki added the cherry on top of what would be a poisoned sundae.

So Izuku's worries weren't pointless after all, Kacchan knew about the acts of vigilantism. There was no more dancing around the subject, they could speak freely with all three of them knowing and nobody else in the house. He ran a hand through his messy green hair while contemplating how to approach this particular conversation. Talking about illegal deeds, even if they are noble ones, was a delicate topic. On top of that, he now had to pass on the burden of keeping this secret well guarded to another person. It wasn't just _anybody_ either, it was specifically Katsuki Bakugo. Izuku secretly wished a random civilian figured it out instead. First thing first, he had to cover up any more loose ends if they existed. "You haven't told anybody else since then, right?", Izuku had to make sure nobody else discovered his identity over night.

"Of course not! Just Katsuki knows now, I promise he was the only person I told! I'm not a blabber mouth, it was just one slip up! An innocent mistake!", Mei frantically waved her arms in a reassuring manner. "Katsuki hasn't told anybody else either, this stays between us three! I already gave him the 'great power also comes great responsibility' talk! He knows this isn't something you tell everyone.", she tried to put Izuku at ease.

Bakugo draped an arm over his girlfriend's shoulders to calm her down. "We obviously know this isn't something to go around telling everybody we know.", Katsuki almost sounded offended while he picked up from where Mei left in her convincing statements. Izuku was about to apologize for showing any kind of mistrust towards them, but stopped short upon seeing Bakugo's grin return. It was a smaller smirk, less noticeable, but enough to catch Izuku's attention and remain hidden from Hatsume. " _Especially_ after the previous night.", Katsuki was referring to The Green Shadow's run from the pro heroes and authorities.

"Yes. We obviously have a lot to talk about.", Izuku sternly stated. Bakugo's smug smile stayed a while longer, but quickly hid itself when Hatsume glanced in his direction. The pink haired mechanic could feel the tension between them now and gulped down any questions she had about it. Izuku didn't want Mei to get on her boyfriend's bad side, so he decided to ask the questions before she could have the chance. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss about it? I wouldn't have taken you as someone that would approve of my ideals.", Izuku curiously eyed Bakugo.

"We know eachother so well.", Katsuki chuckled. "I'm definitely against the whole 'hero without a license' thing. You should know that better than anyone.", Bakugo met Izuku's gaze and didn't plan on breaking eye contact. "There's only three things keeping me from turning you over to the police and pros. I'm doing this for Mei, she values your friendship and appreciates your business. We also have a history together growing up, even if there were some rough patches.", Katsuki paused and didn't seem to look like he was going to continue before anyone else spoke up.

"That's only two things..", Izuku murmured. It must have been what Bakugo wanted to hear, because his cheeky smile returned. Midoriya felt his fists clench subconsciously, he was getting irritated by the cocky behavior Kacchan consistently made a point to showcase. Whatever point Katsuki wanted to get across, it was a message received loud and clear.

"Oh. My bad.", Bakugo replied in a tone that was unconvincing. His arrogant smile flashed pearly white teeth one last time before it went into hiding under Hatsume's gaze again. "Anyways, we just wanted to stop by and let you know you didn't need to _worry_ about things.", his voice was riddled with sarcasm but it went undetected by Mei. Izuku couldn't let that slide past him, it was too much of a concerning conversation to be dropped so easily. The secret vigilante had avoided being direct up to this point, out of consternation for Hatsume, but decided he couldn't hold back his voice any longer.

Luckily, Mei interjected and bought him enough time to speak in private with Katsuki. "Uh, before we go.. Deku, could I use your restroom?", she asked. Neither Midoriya or Bakugo could tell whether she sincerely needed to use it, or if she had picked up on the hidden layers between them. Regardless, neither of them cared or bothered to ask. They were both too intent on eachother, and Hatsume getting herself out of the way was probably considered a good thing no matter the reason.

Izuku nodded and pointed in the direction of the home's bathroom, "It's right outside the kitchen. Go to your left and you'll see it." Hatsume thanked him before briskly walking off to do her business. Deku and Kacchan were now alone, free to openly discuss whatever beef was kept hidden between their whole interaction. The way the two were looking at one another, you'd expect them to break out into a fight any given moment.

"Oi, fucking Deku.", **there** was the Kacchan that Izuku grew up with. The constantly cursing bully, the one that looked at with him eyes full of hate. It was like a second personality revealed itself now that Mei Hatsume was out of the room, and that sentence had been its greeting. "Well. Aren't you going to ask it?", there was **plenty** of questions Izuku had for the living grenade, but he knew which one Katsuki was referring to.

"What happened to you?"

…

 _There was a fallout far worse than nuclear after the kidnapping of Katsuki Bakugo. The media tore through U.A like a flimsy piece of paper through every news outlet, nonstop bashing their reputation and dragging the school's name through the mud. Students and teachers were hospitalized in critical condition or had serious injuries that kept them in a comatose state. One might argue that the villains had won in one fatal swoop, they'd successfully outsmarted the heroes. Everybody seemed to lose faith in the pros and join in on the slander. It was a controlled cataclysm._

 _However, the heroes had a hidden comeback planned. Before Momo married Shoto, before they were dating, she had managed to plant a tracker on one of the assailants. The tracer had a GPS system hooked up and everything, she was quite the spectacle even back then. With the location to the villain hideout at the pro hero's disposal, they gathered and planned a raid rescue op. To ensure the villains wouldn't see it coming, they held a fake news conference to apologize for the incident and serve as a distraction._

 _Izuku Midoriya was still covered head to toe in bandages from his injury, but was nearly fully healed thanks to Recovery Girl. He recalled the villains capturing Bakugo and how he had been unable to do anything to prevent it. Izuku shuddered at the memory that would haunt him forever, how he was RIGHT THERE and couldn't bring himself to move. If he weren't so useless at that moment, he might have been able to save Kacchan. Izuku overheard Momo helping the heroes by giving them the remote tracking device. He wanted to assist them, but knew the pros wouldn't allow a child to interfere, much less a quirkless one. After the training camp incident, they probably wouldn't even let a powerful student like Shoto or Fumikage come. So, Izuku resorted to begging Momo for a spare GPS to find and help Bakugo. To this day, he wondered whether that was a good idea or not.. because what he found, he didn't like._

 _One of Bakugo's best friends, Ejirio Kirishima, had also felt guilty about losing Katsuki. Izuku heard him ranting and raving about it while leaving through the lobby. Midoriya had planned to go alone before that, but then realized how suicidal it would have been. His only hope was that a select few of students would join him in the rescue mission. It didn't take much convincing to get Kirishima on board since the plan was so 'manly'. All that remained in the lobby was Tenya Iida & Denki Kaminari, and they were a little more difficult to convince. Iida passionately yelled how he wanted to abide by the rules and Denki showed his reasoning to be much more cowardice. In the end, Tenya tagged along with the purpose of protecting his friends and that reason only. Kaminari then joined after Ejirio reminded him about his friendship with Bakugo. The rag tag group of teenage heroes in training was brought together by the ideal that 'friends never leave friends behind'._

 _The GPS that Momo gave them then led the group to a war zone. Warped humanoid creatures were slaughtering the swat units while pro heroes desperately fought to hold them off. The beasts either had wings, tentacles, stingers, or crab legs that allowed them a combative advantage. It was a bloodbath and the teenagers were helpless once again as they hid from it all. Explosions went off and forced everyone to run from falling debris. Once the dust settled, the two biggest competitors were going toe to toe with one another. All Might no longer had his signature smile, "This ends here.. **All For One!** ", the opposing man just laughed at the number one hero's threat. Everyone assumed this guy was the real deal, he was the REAL leader that controlled The League Of Villains. The symbol of peace was about to battle the symbol of evil. _

_It was impossible to not gawp at the fight, each of them dealing out punches like they were nothing. Blow after blow, massive gusts of wind were enough to form a deeper crater with them at the center. Izuku only looked away to see if any of the other heroes were going to help All Might, he wasn't expecting to discover one of the biggest battles of the century was just a distraction. Tomura Shigaraki was reluctantly ordering the other villains to flee the scene from a nearby alley. Izuku was even more shocked to see they had Bakugo with them. It turned out the heroes were too busy battling the Nomus and All For One, they completely forgot to retrieve Katsuki._

" _Kacchan!", Izuku called out to the familiar face. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Iida turned their attention to the other villains after hearing Midoriya pinpoint their friend. All that stood in the way of the remainders escaping, was the heroes in training. Izuku wanted to make sure he wouldn't be useless this time, so he unveiled his secret weapon. The cloth that resembled a scarf of bandages served as a multi use weapon. It was enough to restrain Shigaraki before Kurogiri could warp them away. While he had the villains caught off guard, Izuku called out for Bakugo again. "Kacchan!"_

 _Katsuki took this as the signal to step in and used his quirk to launch himself towards his rescuers. Izuku and the others thought that they had successfully saved Bakugo.. until the blonde released an explosion into Kirishima's chest. Luckily, Ejirio used his hardening quirk in time and withstood the attack. That didn't stop the others from being completely taken by surprise, their friend had just turned on them. Shigaraki took this as his chance to decay the cloth binding him and Bakugo continued his assault for the villains. Izuku worried that the blonde was brainwashed or something, much like the other U.A students trying to snap him out of it. Regardless of whatever reason Katsuki attacked them, he was called back by Shigaraki like a pet dog. Kurogiri opened a portal for them to exit through, successfully allowing them to escape. Before Bakugo could be the last to leave though, Izuku called out to him one last time._

" _What happened to you?!"_

…

"I used to think I only enjoyed beating the shit out of villains. It wasn't until I got a taste of more that I remembered how much I loved burning you when we were kids. Shigaraki told me all kinds of things I thought was bullshit, but one of them was the truth about All Might. When I saw he was just some scrawny wannabe, I realized how hypocritical 'heroes' really are. I finally understood why they'd let some quirkless shithead like you into the hero course. It isn't about who's got the skill to get the job done, because for them, it's all a double standard. You know better than anyone that all they fucking care about is how much money they can get from fame. That's why they're trying to stop you from being a vigilante, you're taking all their limelight and it's pissing them off.", Bakugo began to rant during his explanation.

Izuku shook his head, "Are you even listening to yourself? You should like Stain! Do you really believe in those ideals?", he had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from saying more. Shigaraki had managed to warp Bakugo's way of thinking. First, it was the reveal of All Might's true form. Then, Shigaraki exposed Endeavor's abusive history. The League Of Villains were set on one goal: to destroy the public image of heroes. It had apparently worked on Katsuki. Izuku lowered his head in shame, believing that if he had only stopped the villains from taking Bakugo during the training camp assault, then Katsuki would have become a hero and not.. whatever he is now.

"You know how much I wanted to be a fucking hero, Deku! We both wanted to be heroes so fucking bad! This isn't just something that happened to me over night with the league, it took a lot of convincing from them. Even then, I wasn't wanting to side up with fucking criminals like _them_. I left the group and tried forging a path of my own. The whole hero and villain thing was like slapping labels over someone. Like you, I considered being a vigilante.. but, even _that_ label doesn't kill. So, I became an 'anti-hero', you could even call me a 'mercenary' or an 'assassin'. Whatever.. the point is, **I** figured out this shit before you.", Katsuki went another tirade with another summarized explanation.

"I never saw you after that night.. I thought they killed you or something.", Izuku couldn't believe what Bakugo was saying. Katsuki had abandoned U.A AND The League Of Villains, opting to be his own judge, jury, AND executioner?! "After all this time, you never came back or let me know you were okay..", Izuku was distressed just by seeing the familiar face, and now he had this revelation to take in.

Bakugo scoffed, "Come on Deku, we both know we weren't exactly the best of friends. Only _you_ would be stupid enough to blow your cover by reaching out to someone. I had a new mission to focus on, bringing REAL justice to the world. Maybe that's why you failed the fucking hero course, why you never became a hero. Unlike me, you didn't strive hard enough, you had no fucking passion!", the insults spat like a barrage.

Izuku could now somewhat understand where Katsuki was coming from. The blonde had always been driven towards whatever goal he desired and was willing to do anything to achieve it. Izuku had always acknowledged Kacchan's immense power, but never once thought about the morality handicaps. Katsuki was always limited, he had been holding back despite his inner animal like instincts. Now Bakugo discovered something he considered his own goal and believed it was something better than what everyone else wanted. Now, Bakugo unshackled his metaphorical restraints, now he was willing to kill anyone in his way. What happened to Kacchan when he was abducted finally got answered. There was still much more left unanswered though, much more needed to be explained. "So why are you here then? Why did you come to me and tell me all of this?", Izuku asked his next line of questions.

"I figured I'd cross paths with 'The Green Shadow' eventually. We're in very similar lines of work. After I learned from Hatsume that the vigilante was really just quirkless Deku though, well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to initiate the first encounter. We both know eachother's secrets now, but we also both know which one is much more consequential. I wanted to let you know, I've got you by the balls, you're my fucking bitch.", Bakugo strolled closer to Izuku during his threatening monologue. Invading another person's personal space could be considered an intimidation tactic, and it was working for Kacchan.

Mei could be heard exiting the bathroom now, she called to her boyfriend from the other room. "Katsuki, I think we've overstayed our welcome! We should probably go!", Hatsume tried waving him over to the door so they could leave. Bakugo and Midoriya never broke eye contact and stayed within close vicinity of one another the entire time she tried to interject. Mei was practically non existent when it came to the intensity between the two men. She hadn't heard their conversation, therefore, she didn't know what kind of animosity was built up. Her guileless presence made them put their facades back up, opting out frowns and sneers for smiles and grins.

Katsuki placed what looked like a friendly hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Sure thing honey, just give me a second to say goodbye.", the blonde briefly addressed Hatsume. This seemed to be enough to satisfy Mei, she politely smiled and bowed to Izuku before leaving the two to finish 'catching up'. Once Hatsume was gone, Bakugo leaned in to whisper something in Izuku's ear. "What I was trying to say before we were so rudely interrupted.. Stay out of my fucking way.. or else.", he lightly patted the shoulder before walking away.

So _that_ was what Bakugo intended this reunion to be, a declaration of superiority. He was threatening to blackmail Izuku with the vigilante secret if The Green Shadow were to ever interfere with his anti-hero activities. Of course, Midoriya couldn't just sit back and do nothing either. Bakugo was going to kill people.. HAS been killing people. Kacchan needed to be stopped, and The Green Shadow was the only one that could get the job done. Still, Izuku had to worry about his family and friends. What would happen to them if his secret were to get revealed? He'd be behind bars where he couldn't protect them from the criminals that would want revenge on him. He couldn't take that risk. So, for now.. he'd play along with Bakugo's game.

"..What happened to you? ..Kacchan?"

…

The giant glass structure looked like the Empire State Building! Iris Todoroki had seen her father's establishment, but even that paled in comparison, and he was the number one ranked hero! Maybe it was just the strange wave of nervousness that washed over her that made the organization tower over her like the world's biggest skyscraper. Choosing someone on the internship offers that wasn't her father, let alone someone who isn't in the top ten listing, was quite nerve wracking. Iris could only imagine her dad wasn't pleased by the decision, but in the end, this felt like the right choice.

The young Todoroki inhaled deeply before taking a brave step towards her future as a hero. The front desk and lobby was just as huge as the exterior! Iris felt her jaw hit the floor when she saw the entrance was the size of a football field. It looked like a less cluttered shopping mall turned into a work space environment. That was enough to make her exhale, the wind completely knocked out of her by sheer awe. Iris timidly approached the front desk to sign in, "H- Hi.. I'm here for the i- internship. Todoroki? Iris Todoroki? Is that on the list?", she shyly asked. She secretly worried she was spending too much time with Hikiyose and blamed that as the reason for her stutter.

"Ah yes, he'll be expecting you in the training quarters. That'll be floor five, just take the elevator to your right.", the desk worker directed Iris while handing her a clipboard to sign in. All Iris had to do was check a box next to her already printed name and follow directions. She politely bowed in appreciation for the assistance before following the desk worker's orders carefully. Just like they had told her, young Todoroki found her new sensei waiting in the training gym.

"Ah, Miss Todoroki, I see you're right on time. Just as punctual as your mother, I knew you'd take after her.", the pro hero flashed a shimmering smile. The Shining Hero: Spectrum Forge, had agreed to take Iris Todoroki under her wing. The woman's outfit consisted of what looked like white leather, but had the occasional black padding to serve as protection.

Iris was shocked by her mentor's statement, an audible gasp escaped her lips. "You know my mom?!", she exclaimed in surprise. Momo had always told Iris stories about her adventures at U.A and the journey to become its next principal, Spectrum Forge had never been mentioned once. If the shining hero wasn't a member of her mother's class in the hero course, then how did the two meet?

"Of course! I also know your father. Both of them are very respected heroes in the business. I was quite flattered when you chose to intern under _me_ of all people! But at the same time, I also know _why_ you'd make such a choice! It's most likely the only reason your father and mother didn't disapprove.", Spectrum Forge spoke matter of factually.

"You do?!", Iris was taken aback by all the sudden news. Not only did Spectrum Forge associate with her parents like they were old pals, but they discussed the reasoning behind her decision on interning with Forge! Young Todoroki couldn't believe what she was hearing, she had to be absolutely certain.

"Well, I'd sure hope so. Correct me if I'm wrong. It's because our quirks are so alike. I'm able to create hard light constructs much like you're capable of creating ice constructs.", the heroine created a glowing hockey stick and puck to serve as a demonstration. "You seek training to improve your quirk, it's only natural. Your parents understood this and praised your logical reasoning.", Spectrum Forge then hit the hockey puck into one of the goals she had set up in the gym. "Did I guess it properly?", she flashed another smile full of pearly whites.

Iris nodded in confirmation, "That's relieving to hear. I was worried my parents would be upset. Now I can fully focus on improving my abilities.", she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Any doubt had been melted away and she was prepared to give it her all.

"That all depends on your own amount of creativity. You've been given a quirk that grants you limitless opportunity, so it can be hard to think of something to create while in the middle of a battle. That's why we're going to test the limits of your quirk and learn what you can't or can make.", Spectrum Forge was already giving out wise advice as a mentor. To show the wide range of potential, the heroine created a light sword in one hand and a glowing whip in the other. "You'll be improving your mind and body by doing this through BATTLE!", Spectrum Forge then charged at Iris Todoroki.

…

The office of Uravity had been completely reorganized and cleaned, Ochaco Midoriya considered this a special day and wanted it to be completely perfect for her intern. The brunette was already suited up in her hero uniform, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her protege. Ochaco had the whole day planned out in her head, they'd start off by patrolling the city and grabbing a bite to eat at whatever restaurant they happened to cross. She would then give the option to her intern to either practice some fighting skills she learned from her own internships with Gunhead or continue patrolling. Ochaco wondered if walking around the city would be enough exercise or if they should do some training in the gym too. Either way, Uravity was probably more giddy like a kid than the actual teenager coming to intern with her.

The bubbly heroine fidgeted in her seat impatiently, occasionally readjusting some documents on her desk to make sure it was perfectly leveled. Ochaco glanced at the ticking clock and twiddled her thumbs while whistling to pass the time. With nothing better to do, she then began wondering what would be the best position to be in when her intern arrived. Should she do something classy like crossing her legs? Should she hide behind the door or use her quirk to float above it, that way she could pull a sneak attack and act cool? She thought that would be really good, then she could make a lesson out of it and how a hero should never lower their guard. Ochaco then worried it'd make her come off as too serious, she didn't want to bore her student to death with lectures. How did Izuku do this every day with several students? She considered calling him to ask, but didn't want to be on the phone when the intern finally arrived.

Ochaco eventually settled on facing away from the door, so the intern would only see the back of her chair when walking in. She figured that would be cool and mysterious, then she could whip around and reveal herself like she was expecting them at that exact time. All Uravity needed now was a cat in her lap to pet, she secretly wondered if this is what villains did every time they waited to unveil their plans to a hero. Luckily, she had a fantastic view of the skyline from her office window. Ochaco then felt sorry for the people that waited like this and only had a wall to stare at the entire time.

Finally, she heard the door click open. Ochaco nearly squealed with joy.

She hadn't bothered to read the folder regarding the candidate that chose her. She already told her secretary to immediately accept Hikiyose. Ochaco had no doubt in her mind that her daughter would choose her to intern under. They would make the perfect crime fighting duo and get to spend so much mother and daughter bonding time together! Finally, she'd get to be apart of Hikiyose's life!

Uravity spun her chair around and.. it was somebody else. Not just _somebody_ , this particular hero in training wasn't even a girl! The boy looked like he was too busy drooling to save anyone. Ochaco quickly scrambled for one of the papers on her desk, reading the hand picked candidate to make sure there wasn't a mistake. Jayzon Shimasu, NOT Hikiyose Midoriya, was what she read. Then her eyes fell on the boy's hero name.. "UPCHUCK?!"

Ochaco groaned to herself before offering a polite smile to the confused boy. Hikiyose must have declined her mother's internship offer and went with somebody else, leaving Uravity's secretary to make the choice. Ochaco sighed in disappointment before shaking it off and focusing positive energy to help Shimasu become a better hero. However, she couldn't help but wonder.. if Hikiyose wasn't interning with her mom, then who did she choose?

…

"It's an honor to be working under you, Mr. Todoroki, thank you.", Hikiyose was quick to remember the manners her parents taught her and lightly bowed. Even though he was her father's best friend, and her best friend's father (try saying _that_ ten times fast) this was still the number one pro hero. Interning under such a high ranking hero while she was quirkless meant the world to her.

Shoto didn't quite often show any emotion, let alone through expressions. So, when he gave the girl a small smile, it wasn't just because he was being polite. There was quite a few reasons why he offered her an internship and why she accepted. There were the obvious starting reasons why like their relationships with one another's parents or children. However, Shoto also liked to believe this wasn't just a way of repaying Izuku or helping out his daughter's friend. Had Hikiyose not been associated with any of his family or friends, he would have still offered her a place in his company. Shoto, much like everyone else, saw an immense amount of potential in the girl. Hikiyose was a quirkless teen pitted against hundreds of overpowered people and still came out on top.. that meant something.

"There's no need to thank me, you've already done so by being here. I expect great things from you, and you'll be living up to those expectations during your training under me.", Shoto somehow managed to worry Hikiyose with compliments. The number one hero's expectancy was a lot to live up to, if her mother and father's wasn't already enough to stress over.

Hikiyose looked at her shaky hands, inhaling and exhaling before forcing them to stop trembling. She couldn't let any kind of anxiety stand in the way of such a big opportunity. The girl shook her head to boggle any negativity and looked forward where Shoto Todoroki was standing. With clenched fists prepared to pound any villains and prove herself, she proudly accepted the challenge. "Then let's get started!", she smiled with much needed enthusiasm.

Shoto made a noise that sounded like some sort of chuckle, happy to see his intern so eager to begin. "In just a moment, we're still waiting on another intern.", he gestured for Hikiyose to have a seat and get comfortable while they wait. Judging by her expression, she was surprised to hear this news. Before she could ask Shoto about the other intern, or who they may even be, he expanded on the info himself. "Fortunately, I was allowed to take on two students. You weren't the only one who exhibited extraordinary potential, and I didn't want to turn anyone away as if I were playing favorites."

Hikiyose nodded to show she was listening while he spoke. She started wondering who the other intern could be, immediately thinking about Iris and that they shared the same train. Her friend said she would be interning under another hero, so that couldn't be the case though. She secretly hoped the second student would turn out to be Verde Tokoyami, they had formed a pretty good bond during the school year and it would be great to work with him again. Whoever her partner would be, it sounded like they were just now arriving as the office door clicked open. This person hadn't even crossed her mind..

"Kasai?!"

…

Meanwhile, the other students of Class 1-A were also getting associated with their new senseis. Verde ended up interning under his father to learn more about taming Bright Umbra, since it was so similar to Dark Shadow. Yuoro wanted to improve her combat skills so she could be on par with Hikiyose, so she decided to partner with the hero dubbed 'Slayer'. The pro was dressed with the fashion sense of a medieval knight and fought with a sword like one too. Jousting and earning herself a personalized weapon seemed like the next step in bettering herself.

Hamina worked with her parents, the hero couple intended on changing the title to 'hero family' when she finally received her license. Obachaji and Denki probably wouldn't get too much hero training or patrolling done with Kyoka out for their blood. They would be constantly hiding and running to avoid her wrath over Obachaji choosing her father over her mother. Shuaka ended up interning with Lemilion in hopes of learning how to improve his shrinking quirk. Mirio Togata had seemingly straight forward quirks that would be considered only capable of one usage. The pro hero learned how to adapt them and make more special moves, so Shuaka hoped to do the same.

As for Carame Nagaidesu, he decided to intern under the haunted swamp hero, 'Bio-Matter'. The pro was another one of those muscular types, with the only unique difference being that he looked like a living plant. Vines draped down from his chin like a beard, giving off somewhat of a wise appearance to the being. Bio-Matter was able to extend his limbs thanks to the literal 'nature' of his body, giving Carame someone perfect to train under.

It turned out that same day had been when Bio-Matter planned to collaborate with another pro hero called 'Zebra'. The newcomer wore a black & white striped leotard that matched his alias. The costume really made him stand out, but that was supposedly a good thing thanks to his quirk. Bio-Matter reassured Nagaidesu that Zebra was the perfect hero to be associated with them. Apparently, they were going to go on a mission to receive intel on the criminal organization governed by Dabi!

While the rest of Class 1-A was out on patrol or training, Carame got to actually join in on a villain raid!

…

 _His father's hero office was the coolest place ever! He'd always dreamed of getting to see it again, his mother told him he used to crawl around in it as a baby. Now, the young boy was admiring its professional outlook and how tidy everything seemed, it made his dad look extremely important. He was about to ask why it was so shiny and serious, but saw his dad was too enveloped in work. The pro hero didn't even notice his kid was in the same room, much less did he even care. The boy sighed and hung his head, feeling deprived of attention. It was 'take your kid to work day', and his mom had suggested him as the choice. The boy wondered why it even mattered, why she thought things would be any different. His father would never look at him again, not after his mistake.._

 _The other adults that did bother to look also stopped, they were too disgusted by his appearance. The kids made fun of the bruised purple burns that became wrinkled and saggy upon no longer healing. He'd been scolded for his mistake and constantly belittled by it. The boy pinched and pulled, picking at the rotten flesh in a similarly distraught mood. This was his body, his life.. and even he couldn't stand it._

" _Stay here, Touya, I have business to attend to elsewhere.", his didn't turn his gaze while addressing the boy either. Touya wanted to cry as his dad closed the door, leaving him alone. Even though nobody could see or hear him, his father warned him about sobbing, he'd be punished if he showed weakness. Touya didn't want to show anymore weakness, he couldn't. That must have been why his father showed disinterest, why everyone had such displeasure. The saggy purple bruises was a weakness of his, he just had to fix it like he stopped crying._

 _Touya searched his father's desk for any helpful materials, spotting a stapler acting as a paper weight. He figured he would just borrow it to fix his burn marks and put it back when he was finished. The boy took the stapler and held it over his arm, pulling at the saggy flesh so it would be evened out. When the skin wasn't displaced, he applied pressure and a staple held part of the weak flesh in tact. Blood oozed out with a pained whimper, but no tears escaped like the other two weaknesses. Touya refused to cry as he proceeded to apply more staples, he'd do this until he fixed the weakness._

 _By the time Endeavor returned to his office, Touya Todoroki was covered in homemade patchwork. The sloppy craftsmanship made him look like a jigsaw puzzle got some wrong pieces forced together. It didn't help that blood soaked the boy's body much like his sweat, making him completely filthy. If Touya looked grotesque before, there were no words to describe his appearance now. Endeavor was overwhelmed with emotions over what his son did, but settled on backhanding the boy to release a majority of them._

" _Damn you, didn't I tell you not to cry? You're weak!"_

Dabi used his quirk to incinerate a stapler, finding displeasure in reliving a horrid memory. He was currently in an office of his own, awaiting the arrival of his underlings. Loads of planning had been put into this, and he refused to screw it up by showing any weakness.

Finally, he heard the boy arrive. Dabi let the ash from the cremated stapler dribble out of his hand before turning around to address the newcomer. The hero in training knelt for Dabi, a suitable gesture since the villain was king of the criminal underworld.

"What will you have me do, master?", asked Carame Nagaidesu.

…

 _ **END CHAPTER TEN**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Did I just reveal the traitor? I'm sure you have tons of questions, that will all be answered in the next chapter. For now, I'll answer the questions in the previous chapter's reviews!**_

 _ **I think it's expected of me now, so I'll say it.. ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: You're right about both things!**_

 _ **Ooobserver: Oh boy, I guess you know the answers to all that Bakugo stuff now!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: I'm gonna have a lot of fun writing Dabi's origin chapter by chapter, just wait for the one where you learn how he got his villain name! I impressed myself with that idea, and that's something I don't do very often!**_

 _ **When it came to writing your OC heroes, I apologize if I got any of their personalities wrong or anything. I'm sure you were expecting Spectrum Forge to be somewhat like Hal Jordan or John Stewart. I was actually going to make Forge male and more of a Guy Gardner, imagine how hilarious and awesome THAT would have been! In the end though, I settled on a genderbent Doctor Light that could create constructs.. go figure.**_

 _ **Jadegem02: I feel like this is something I'll be asking you quite often now.. did THIS cliffhanger top the other two? I just dunno how to keep doing them and make each one better, but somehow pull it off! (I hope!)**_

 _ **As for the Tokoyami discussion topic, I actually did mean for that to imply he knows. It was sorta like the Aunt May scene in Spider-Man 2 from Raimi's trilogy, or that was what I was going for, at least. I kinda started out by having him bait Izuku, like, he KNOWS because of all the clues. Then, as the conversation progressed, I made them form a respected unspoken understanding. I mean, it could always be taken another way, but that was what I meant for it to be, haha!**_

 _ **purpleflowers10: I'm really happy that you're connecting with the characters, especially OCs like Iris!**_

 _ **Mangaelf1997: It took me a couple of minutes to figure out, but I think your review was pertaining to an old author's note in which a reviewer compared vigilante Deku to Batman. I guess the little checklist you made can be considered filled now.. minus the money part. So, fine, I'll admit it.. Izuku is poor Batman.. but not really.**_

 _ **Alrighty, I actually have a good amount of things to say now. Let's start from the top: Bakugo.**_

 _ **I deliberately left his past open ended to an extent, so I could always come back to it and touch things up to further explain his motivation.**_

 _ **This chapter and that massive confrontation was probably the hardest thing I've ever written, minus the writer's block I got when trying to handle Class 1-A's internships!**_

 _ **Which brings us to: the internships.**_

 _ **As you can probably tell by this chapter's cliffhanger/ending, things are about to be explained and shit will hit the fan. I just needed to establish where everyone is and make them presentable for the next chapter.**_

 _ **That's probably all I can cover in this author's note without giving things away, so that's all for now! Until next time!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	11. Fire Isn't Always THAT Scary

Iris Todoroki walked alongside her mentor, patrolling the same ten street blocks for hours. No criminal activity was bound to happen, but it made any inhabitants of the area feel more at ease. Almost serving as proof, a group of raving fans began to crowd around Spectrum Forge. They mostly wanted to catch a glimpse of the hero's attention, while others begged for an autograph. Iris watched as her mentor appealed to the fans by signing whatever they had on hand for her to write on. When pro heroes weren't busy fighting bad guys, they catered to the public. It was a vicious cycle of merchandising and fame, like an amplified celebrity. Some people were disgusted by it, believing the heroes shamelessly basked in the attention. However, Iris could see the way these fans were expressing gratitude to just be acknowledged by Spectrum Forge. The public idolized the heroes and this was just a way of reassuring them that it was reasonable. If there was one thing that the symbol of peace left behind, it was that all it took to comfort civilians, was the simple expression of a smile.

Iris felt her thoughts pulled away by the tugging of her costume's fabric. Upon turning around, she discovered a child from the crowd of fans must have wandered off. The kid looked up at her with the same eyes the others had, ones full of revere. The small boy must have seen her on television during the Sports Festival, it was the only reasonable cognition since Iris hadn't made her debut as a hero yet. Adopting her mentor's calming smile, Iris crouched down to the child's height. "Hi there! Can I help you with something?", Iris cheerfully asked.

When he finished gawping, the young boy cocked his head in curiosity. "Are you really Hottokorudo's daughter?", he was referring to the young Todoroki's father by his hero name. The kid seemed to ride on every second Iris didn't respond with impatience and worry that he had mistakenly called her out. Meanwhile, the hero in training was too distraught by her own thoughts to reply. While most people would probably be proud to be related to the number one hero, Iris wanted to make her own legacy. The Todoroki heritage was basically a family of overachievers, her mother was also the principal of U.A for crying out loud! Iris felt emotionally hurt that this kid was only marveling her because of her relation to the top hero, and not her own skills portrayed at the festival.

Iris felt her smile twitch and falter, but kept it together even after letting loose on an exasperated sigh. Her tone remained friendly, but was completely fraudulent. "That's right! Are you a fan of his?", she tried to sound proud of the fact and adopted the kind of voice people used when speaking to children or animals. When the kid's eyes lit up like stars and all he could do was nod in response, Iris felt her smile soften and become more genuine. "Well, what's your name? I'll let him know we met, I'm sure he'd like that.", Iris offered what she figured a hero would say if they were put in the same position.

The young boy gasped in both surprise and appreciation, "Really?! You'd do that for me?!", he asked. The child's admiration for the girl and her father increased ten fold as Iris nodded in confirmation. "Wow, thanks! My name is-", before the kid could say anything else, what Iris assumed was the boy's mother decided to intervene. The woman pulled her son away like Iris was a criminal and not the intern of a well respected hero. She shot a scowl at Iris that was partially hidden by what looked like a bird beak covering her mouth.

"What did I say about wandering off? And to do so without protection?", the mother scolded her child while covering the boy's mouth with a surgeon's mask. Iris assumed the woman was a germophobe or something and the masks were what she called 'protection'. The lady seemed to treat Iris like a disease anyway.. The boy avoided her gaze and looked on the brink of tears while apologizing. The mother then turned her attention to Iris, "And _you_ , don't go around indoctrinating my son!"

Iris raised an eyebrow in confusion, what the hell did this crazy lady mean by 'indoctrinating' her son? Stain's beliefs had left an impact in society, perhaps the woman had similar ideals and hated heroes? Whatever the reasons, she pulled her child away before Iris could even respond. The lady with a horn on her forehead left quite the impression though, her shouting was enough to disperse Spectrum Forge's crowd of fans. "Are you okay, Young Todoroki?", the heroine went to her intern's side with concern.

"Y- Yes.. That boy was just asking me about my dad, and then his mom got really upset about it before dragging him off.", Iris briefly explained the situation to her mentor with a quick summary. Spectrum Forge nodded before gazing off in the direction the two had gone. Something about the heroine's expression made Iris feel like there was a deeper meaning behind her mentor's worry. "Is there something wrong, sensei?", Iris stood back up to address her teacher.

The heroine looked like she was about to deny it, but let out a sigh instead. "That was a member of the Yakuza. Their masks are meant to resemble plague doctors, because they see deem heroes as a disease. They're very dangerous, especially for a hero still in training like yourself. I understand you didn't know any better at the time and wanted to help that child, but be more wary next time.", Spectrum Forge explained what Iris didn't realize could have been a very dangerous encounter.

"I see.. so that kid, what do we do to help him?", Iris wondered. She could tell by her mentor's somber expression, that their wasn't going to be a proper answer. They were like America's Mafia or Mexico's Cartel, an untouchable organization of crime. The heroes and law enforcement of Japan seemed to share a common cease fire with the Yakuza. Apparently, a kid in apparent danger wasn't enough to bring down the operation. It was at times like this that Iris believed in the vigilante more.

Spectrum Forge gently and cautiously placed a reassuring hand on the young girl's shoulder upon seeing the distraught expression. "Come on, we should probably end our day of patrolling anyways. It'll be dark soon, and my quirk's drawback is that I can't create any light constructs without.. well, light.", the heroine tried leading Iris back towards the company building.

Before Iris could protest though, the two were shaken by an explosion going off in the distance. The sound of civilians screaming and the roaring flames of collapsing buildings caught their attention instantly.

"What was that?!", Iris asked her mentor.

"I don't know..", Spectrum Forge answered honestly. "But they'll need our help, even if all we do is evacuate citizens. Let's go!", the heroine quickly added. Iris nodded in agreement before they ran in the direction of disaster.

…

 _Bio-Matter and Zebra stealthily stepped through a docking station. The hero in training, Carame Nagaidesu, followed closely behind. The trio were occasionally checking shipping crates for incriminating evidence, but came up empty. The mission was to uncover one of Dabi's many shipping yards. Whatever it was that the crimelord traded with other criminals, remained unknown. The group speculated among the obvious things like drugs or guns while worrying it could be something far more severe like human trafficking._

 _The three eventually cleared the crates and were left with the warehouse to search. Bio-Matter was about to use his quirk to send vines snaking through the building, but was stopped by Carame. "I can look in through the skylight and see if there's an ambush or something waiting. It's better to be safe than sorry.", Nagaidesu pleadingly smiled at his mentor. Bio-Matter nodded in response to his intern before Carame used his elastic arms to grapple onto the roof._

 _Nagaidesu took a moment to peer in through the skylight before turning back with a thumbs up. Bio-Matter took that as the signal to move in, using his enhanced strength to pry open the warehouse loading doors. Like Carame had assured, there was no ambush waiting on the other side. Zebra was the next to move in the front, scanning the area for anything suspicious. Carame lowered himself with a stretched arm to join the pro heroes._

" _Maybe your source of information was wrong?", Nagaidesu offered as a reason for the lack of villains or illegal products._

 _Bio-Matter shook his head in aggravation, "There's no way, they're too reliable. This feels more prepared, like Dabi knew we were coming."_

" _Could it be possible that somebody tipped him off?", Zebra wondered._

" _It makes sense, that would have given them ample time to clear everything out.. but who?", Bio-Matter stroked his beard made of vines in thoughtful consideration. "It would have to be someone that knew about our operation, but that could only mean it's someone currently in this room..", the pro hero looked at Zebra with an accusing glare. "Nagaidesu, get behind me!", Bio-Matter enlarged his body mass to protect what he believed was only an intern._

 _Much to the hero's horror, Carame closed the warehouse doors instead of running or following orders. Before Bio-Matter could ask what the reason was, his answer was given in the form of maniacal laughter. "You walked right into our trap.", Nagaidesu grinned._

" _You.. You're the traitor? But.. wait, you said 'our' trap?", Bio-Matter let out a shocked gasp in his mix of confusion. He turned back around to face Zebra, which turned out to be a mistake. The striped suit was currently moving, acting as a hypnotic attack thanks to the man's quirk. "You too?", Bio-Matter felt his will to fight back slowly slipping away._

" _It's nothing personal, Bio-Matter. Actually, if it were up to me, I'd be putting you into a trance like Nagaidesu's! You would be my little slave too! But orders are orders.. Dabi wants you dead. Ya know, it was pretty stupid of you to go after him.. considering your weakness is fire.", Zebra began to taunt the swamp themed hero. Bio-Matter tried to mentally battle the hypnosis that willed him to give up, not wanting to fall victim like his intern. It was no use though, Zebra had already got them both in a trance._

 _Bio-Matter looked to his right to see methane tanks leaking their gas. He cursed himself for not being more observant, and prepared for his doom as Zebra left with his mind controlled victim. The methane buildup combined with the hypnotic spell nearly rendered Bio-Matter unconscious. It wouldn't have mattered either way, as the air finally sparked and ignited._

 _A massive explosion rocked the entire area, killing the pro hero and creating havoc like intended. Dabi had successfully sent a message to anyone who dared to threaten his operation._

…

Iris used her quirk to create supportive beams made out of ice, trying to steady buildings threatening to topple. The blast radius had effected more than its intended target, leaving destruction in its wake. Spectrum Forge wasn't of much help with her light constructs since the sun had gone down, but focused on instructing her intern to rescue any civilians that may be trapped in rubble. The two heroines shifted through the debris in search of any victims, coming up empty.

"Todoroki!?", the young girl turned around to see Kasai climbing over fallen pieces of concrete.

"Kasai? What are _you_ doing here?", Iris asked in an equally shocked tone.

As if to answer her question, Shoto Todoroki and Hikiyose Midoriya were the next two to arrive. True to Spectrum Forge's word, the pro heroes seemed to know one another and got to work on creating a plan while their interns also caught up.

"Your dad pointed out an explosion and we came to see if anyone needed help!", Hikiyose quickly explained their reason for arrival. It made sense, since the two groups were in the same vicinity.

"You're both interning with my dad? I didn't even realize that was allowed!", Iris exclaimed.

"Never mind that! We have to focus on locating any injured. Spectrum Forge and I agreed that we should stay split up so we can cover more ground. One search party will continue to work here while the other scopes out the destruction site.", Shoto Todoroki interrupted the conversation.

"Your daughter, Midoriya, and I can continue to search here. It's probably more suited for the professionals to check out the disaster zone.", Kasai suggested.

"While that seems like a good idea, we can't leave students unsupervised. Iris will go with me since we can potentially tame any remaining fire with our ice. The rest of you should continue sweeping the area here.", Shoto left no room for argument as he started to walk away in the middle of his plan.

"R- Right!", Hikiyose reluctantly agreed and pulled Kasai along before he could dispute. Spectrum Forge ordered the students to lift lighter debris while she focused on the heavier rubble.

"This isn't really what I thought would be 'father and daughter bonding time'.", Iris complained while covering flames with a sheeting of ice.

Shoto did the same to a small fire while groaning softly, "Regardless, we would be in the same situation if you interned with me."

"Spectrum Forge said you didn't care about my choice.", Iris dared to shoot her father a glance.

"Of course I care, I just didn't want to stand in the way of your decisions.", Shoto replied.

"Whatever..", Iris branched off to focus on putting out fire elsewhere. Shoto was about to go after her, but figured they were in a close enough proximity.

Meanwhile, Hikiyose dug through shattered brick while Spectrum Forge called out to arriving police officers. Paramedics and firetrucks also lined up to provide assistance. Kasai seemed to venture off further into the destruction, he kept turning stuff over that looked like something could be trapped underneath. The search efforts were still coming up empty, which they didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Suddenly, a large chunk of metal started to lift upwards, debris rained off of it. Hikiyose was the closest to the floating object and had to cover her eyes to avoid the dust from floating in. Luckily, nobody was under the moved rubble, and another hero stood on the other side. The one responsible for removing the object's gravity, was someone that Hikiyose recognized immediately. "Mom!"

Ochaco and her daughter hugged upon seeing one another. "Hikiyose, it's good to see you!", she ran a hand through her daughter's green locks. "But you're still in trouble for not choosing me to intern with.", Ochaco's aura suddenly turned ghastly and scared Hikiyose. The heroine in training scrambled out of her mother's hug and hid behind Spectrum Forge with a soft squeak.

"It looks like nobody got caught in the blast.", Jayzon Shimasu suddenly stepped forward. He and Ochaco came from the opposite side, meaning that both areas had been checked for casualties.

"Thank goodness! Now we just have to find out what caused all of this..", Spectrum Forge turned to Uravity with hope that the fellow heroine would know the answer. Ochaco just shrugged, also unaware of what created the explosion.

The ones responsible were currently making their way towards the Todorokis. Iris noticed Carame with Zebra and waved to him, figuring he was helping like Hikiyose and the others. "Nagaidesu! Hi! Who's this? I thought you were interning with Bio-Matter."

"Oh, I was! He's actually the reason why I'm here. I didn't expect _you_ though.", Carame cheerfully replied. "I guess we can just consider that a bonus.."

Iris was about to ask what he meant, but was too overwhelmed by Zebra's suddenly moving outfit. She felt herself fall into a trance, and her legs began moving on their own. She tried screaming or calling out for help, but found her voice was stuck in her throat. The only thing that she could control, was her eyes, she could watch as somebody else controlled her.

Suddenly, a roaring ball of fire plowed into the side of Zebra! His costume singed a little and stopped the flow of his stripes. Iris felt her drowsiness start to wear off and staggered forward with a sudden return of balance. Carame looked to be going through the same withdrawal, which meant they had both been put under the same kind of mind control. Shoto Todoroki had freed them from the hypnotic suggestion!

"But.. how?!", Zebra seethed through his teeth as he clutched the burn mark on his flesh. "How did you know I had them under my influence?"

"Because.. we've battled before, and I know your real name.. Hypno! You weren't being very subtle with your uniform. I know you require a specific pattern due to your quirk, 'Stupefy Stripes'. I also know you were supposed to come here with Bio-Matter on a secret mission. Anything regarding Dabi gets run by my office first. That's how I know you were the one responsible for this mess.", Shoto froze the villain disguised as a hero in place so he couldn't escape during the explanation.

It had all become very clear what had happened. Zebra was a double agent, his villain persona known as 'Hypno'. He had infiltrated the heroes to leak information to Dabi, and discovered Bio-Matter's plan to raid one of the warehouses. To prevent his cover getting blown, Hypno had to kill the swamp hero. As an extra precaution, he mind controlled Carame Nagaidesu to later pin the blame and stay undetected as a mole for the villains.

"So you've figured it out.. No matter, Dabi has other ways to acquire what he wants.", Hypno then proceeded to show his hands and surrender. Police arrested him with quirk dampening handcuffs while the heroes made sure he had no accomplices other than the boy he mind controlled.

Carame nearly dropped out of the hero course over guilt, despite Bio-Matter's murder not entirely being his fault. He only agreed to stay when Iris offered they go to therapy together, being put under a hypnotic trance had taken its toll on them. The young Todoroki couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Nagaidesu, she had only been under the trance for a short period of time. Carame had been forced to betray a hero and follow the orders of villains.. because of that, the rest of the internship time would be given to him as time off. The well needed vacation would hopefully help him move past the trauma.

Once again, the villains had made their mark on the heroes.

…

" _That's such a villainous quirk!"_

"Shut up.."

" _You can never be a hero with a quirk like that!"_

"Shut up!"

" _Anyone can be a hero!", All Might let out a hearty laugh from the television in front of a small boy. The child shared the same grin as the hero, his wide eyes filled with tears of joy. "Just make sure you eat your 'All Mighty Flakes', and you will see!", the hero lifted a box of cereal for emphasis. The commercial ended and another started, but the young boy watching had been too mesmerized by what All Might had said._

" _Anyone can be a hero..", the kid repeated his new favorite catchphrase._

 _The boy's mother then entered the room, seeing her son seated directly in front of the television. "Don't sit so close, you'll hurt your eyes!", she warned the boy._

" _Sorry mom..", the kid apologized while crawling away from the monitor. Before she could leave, the boy called out to her. "Hey mom.."_

" _What is it, dear?", she smiled warmly at her son._

" _Can.. Can I be a hero?"_

 _The woman had to look away so her son couldn't see the smile turn into a frown. "You know it takes a combat oriented quirk. We've been over this."_

" _But mom, anyone can be a hero!", the boy recited his favorite quote again._

" _Hitoshi, not anyone can be a hero, that isn't true!", she snapped at her son. Before the woman realized what she had accidentally done and could apologize, her child was the one shouting._

" _By that, you mean just **me**! That just **I** can't be a hero! Well, I'll prove you wrong! I'll prove everybody that says I can't be a hero wrong! Just leave me alone until then. Just LEAVE! Leave me alone, go away!", the purple haired boy yelled._

 _His mother obeyed, without any sign of reluctance or resistance. She walked to the front door, opened it, and left. Hitoshi's mother walked as far as she could, never once stopping. It was only when she was crossing the road, that a car snapped her out of it. By then.. it was too late._

Hitoshi felt a tear stream down his face, the distant memory still haunting him.

" _I told you, he has a villain's quirk, he killed his own mom with it!"_

" _That's a villain's quirk!"_

" _He should be a villain!"_

" _You should be a villain!"_

He'd tried to prove them wrong, he tried showing them it had been an accident. Hitoshi entered the best hero school in Japan and strategically made it to the finals during the Sports Festival. He had gotten so many people to talk and brainwashed them to give up like they had told HIM to do. Until Shoto Todoroki humiliated him.. the now number one hero showed an unnecessary display of superior power and froze Hitoshi with half of the stadium. Shinso lost his chance to become a hero, and the person responsible was the highest ranking one. With his dreams shattered and reality finally settling in, he was the one to listen next.. the one to become brainwashed by what everyone told him until it was embedded in his mind.

This is where Shinso belonged, in a prison cell.. because, like they said, he was a villain.

…

 _Shoto was the only one that wasn't completely disgusted by his scars. Touya loved his youngest little brother the most for this reason. The way Shoto played with the dead flesh and laughed when it squished just by being touched made him genuinely happy. The kid was no older than six and didn't completely break down crying at the gruesome burns, he didn't run away screaming like other children older than him. Shoto loved his big brother, he didn't care about the scars, because he had been given one too._

 _The small, but permanent burn, was covering his eye. Touya was thankful that it didn't blind him. Once again, the result of these injuries had come from their father. Their mother was disgusted with Endeavor just like the rest of them, and lashed out at the man's latest creation. Poor Shoto didn't deserve that.. Touya hated his parents. He was used to being abused himself, but after that night.. after seeing Shoto hurt.. he wanted to fight back._

 _Shoto was currently crying, Touya being the boy's only comforting figure. Their mother had been taken away after the stunt she pulled, leaving them with their equally as abusive father. No doubt, he punished Shoto for not using his fire side. The kid was sobbing like crazy, he'd probably get sick if he didn't stop soon. Touya held his brother close, shushing him._

" _Come on Shoto, it's okay, don't cry.", he tried soothing the child. All Might and other heroes always said it'd be okay when saving people.. why wasn't that working? Why was his brother still hurt? Why was Shoto still crying? The answer was simple. All heroes were like Endeavor, like his father.. they lied and hurt people when they said things would be okay. Touya wouldn't be like that, he'd be better than them, he'd actually help his brother._

" _Hey.. Shoto, look..", he gently pulled their hug apart. In his hand, a small blue flame twirled and flickered lightly. His brother flinched at first, afraid that it would burn him. Touya let the fire go out so he wouldn't scare his brother any more. He'd have to try a different approach.. "Now give me your hand."_

 _Shoto hesitantly held it out for his brother. "You don't have to be like our dad, you can be like me.", Touya mimicked the gesture and reignited the small blue flame from before. Shoto watched it dance before making a spark of his own. The only problem, it was orange like Endeavor's, that made Shoto whimper. He wanted to be like Touya, he wanted a blue flame like his brother._

" _Hey, it's okay.. fire isn't always that scary.", Touya allowed his flames to mix with Shoto's. The colors intertwined and made Shoto happier. "Don't make a bunch of it, because it can be hard to control. Just.. keep it even, keep it calm.", Touya continued coaching his brother._

 _He then caught a glimpse of Endeavor watching from a distance. The burning man looked conflicted, like he was thrilled about Shoto using his fire side, but furious that it was Touya that managed to convince him to do it. Touya sighed and let the flames evaporate before picking up Shoto, "Remember.. fire hurts people.. but because of that, it can hurt people that deserve it."_

 _Shoto nodded, "Fire isn't always that scary..", he repeated his older brother's words._

Dabi watched as a blue flame danced in his palm. He clenched his hand into a fist, effectively making the fire go out. It was because someone had arrived and shared his presence. Dabi didn't need to turn around to see who it was. "Let me guess.. Hypno failed.", the villain would be here if he hadn't.

"He got caught.. by Hottokorudo.. but succeeded in killing Bio-Matter."

"His failure is not to be taken lightly, if neglected, he could give away your position. We can't allow that secret to get out..", Dabi tightened his fist. "I'll arrange for him to be found hanging in his cell."

"If.. If that is what you deem the best course of action.", the voice faltered. It wasn't out of fear like his other followers, it was more like the person seemed unsure. They were doubting his decision..

"I didn't forget _your_ failures either. You should have brought her to me by now.", Dabi hoped that NOW he would get some fear out of the boy.

"I tried! I could have gotten her during the bombing's aftermath, but her father got in the way.", the protests were merely excuses in Dabi's ears.

"You've had multiple chances, and all you give me is false vindication!", Dabi shouted back. His fist unclenched and the flame from before returned much larger this time. "I've let you go unpunished long enough.. perhaps _that_ is why you keep failing."

"Please..", **now** there was fear in his tone.

"Come on. Fire isn't always that scary."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER ELEVEN**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Whoops! Looks like Carame isn't the traitor after all! How did you all like that fakeout?**_

 _ **Before I reply to some reviews, I've got two more things to say that can't wait.**_

 _ **Firstly, this chapter's tidbit of Dabi's origin was inspired by /justvritart on Tumblr. I found his awesome art on Instagram and wanted to incorporate a similar piece.**_

 _ **Secondly, I bet you're wondering about Hitoshi Shinso's sudden appearance and origin. For those of you who read the manga, his return got me pretty hyped. Also, in general, his character has a lot of potential. I'll probably do a slow burn with him so he can return later on, since there's already so many threats/subplots/storylines going on right now.**_

 _ **That being said.. ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon: That's a pretty good comparison. I'd say Bakugo is like a mix of Red Hood and Punisher. He'll pose a pretty big threat to Izuku and bring up a lot of moral questioning, so be prepared for that wild ride. Actually, be prepared for A LOT of wild rides..**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman: Yeah, sorry that I killed off Bio-Matter this chapter, I was really wanting to write an awesome fight scene with him, but it just didn't turn out that way. I had a lot of fun writing his character though, and as you can probably tell from this chapter, really took a liking to Spectrum Forge. You'll probably see more of her and maybe some Bio-Matter flashbacks, since I've been doing those so much!**_

 _ **Oh yeah, I look forward to writing those confrontations! The Bakugo and Midoriya showdown is already planned out in my mind, and it's gonna be WILD!**_

 _ **As for the spy, I was happy that I got to throw you off for at least one chapter, it wasn't Carame haha! That's another moment I look forward to writing, that actual reveal will hopefully be very satisfying for everyone!**_

 _ **Guest: That's actually a good question, I never thought of those two as a pairing and it just sorta happened for this story AND 'Have Fear, For I Am Here' (my other story). I guess for this story, I just thought it'd be a crazy reveal and make for good conflict.**_

 _ **Jadegem02: While this chapter didn't necessarily have a 'cliffhanger', I hope it left you wanting more like the others! I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far!**_

 _ **The Weapon 2000: When I initially started reading & watching My Hero Academia, I always imagined Bakugo turning into a villain. Something similar to Sasuke and Naruto but more severe, ya know? It just seemed like a predictable thing, I totally thought it would happen! I'm surprised if I'm the first to make him into a 'bad guy' sort of character. Regardless, I'm happy you like it and hope that arc will leave you satisfied! **_

_**Ooobserver: When I take chances with things like Bakugo being an anti-hero, it's always 50/50 on whether people will like it. I'm SO thrilled that you and others are happy with the risk I took! I know I've said it so many times in my past couple responses to other reviews, but that arc will hopefully leave you all breathless.**_

 _ **And yeah, I felt pretty bad for her too when I wrote that bit.. So I decided to make it all better by bringing them together in this chapter!**_

 _ **And yes, I do enjoy toying with you all, it's why that whole Carame thing was a fakeout, haha!**_

 _ **purpleflowers10: I'll try not to make them fakeouts, but I'll have to put in more unexpected endings just cause you said that! I also appreciate your compliments, I'm always stressing out over whether or not these chapters I put out for you all are good or bad! Thanks for putting me at ease every step of the way!**_

 _ **Alrighty, looks like that's all the reviews for now! I look forward to reading your next batch!**_

 _ **I've set up a lot of storylines now (cough, Yakuza, cough), so it's time to focus on the ones I've got going before adding more, I don't want things to get too jumbled. You can probably already take a guess that the main two I'll be focusing on now are revolving around Dabi and Bakugo. The others will just have to wait! However, those two seem to be all the rave, so I don't think you mind.**_

 _ **That being said, I hope to see you in the next chapter when we see what Izuku is up to!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	12. The Vigilante & The Anti-Hero

"Where did you get that scar?"

"My father."

 _Fire burned through the household, destroying pictures of the smiling family and any luxury that had been placed around the home. Blue flames turned everything into ash, leaving no trace of what formerly sat in its place. Touya Todoroki stood in the midst of it, unaffected by the raging blaze. Endeavor glared at the boy, vowing to add more bruising and scars. Shoto Todoroki was in between the two burning men, crying and holding the cheek his father had struck._

" _Do you have any idea what you've done, boy?!", Endeavor roared in anger. The fire that morphed around his face like a beard erupted like a volcano with his fury. If stares could kill, both Touya and his father would have dropped dead. There was no way to salvage the house, it was going to burn down any moment now. Endeavor blamed Touya, because for once, it really was his son's fault._

" _Something I should have done a long time ago!", Touya yelled back before releasing more flames from his hands. The stream of fire was directed at his father, but it was a mistake to challenge a pro hero. Endeavor absorbed the blast and retaliated with an orange burst that tore through all the blue flames. The clash of two fire based quirk users left nothing untouched. The ceiling gave in and nearly buried Touya. The patchwork boy crawled away from the falling debris and frantically looked around to see if Shoto was okay._

 _All that Touya saw before he was sent sprawling, was his father's boot kicking him in the chest. Endeavor didn't let up in his blind rage, another burst of orange flames engulfed his son. Touya screamed in agony and writhed in pain. Memories to the first time he was covered in fire crossed his mind and made his frenzy even more frantic. Touya felt his hair burning to a crisp, the once vibrant red now turning into an ashy black. Through tears, he watched helplessly as his father carried Shoto out of the fire. Endeavor saved one son, while leaving the other to die._

"Your father gave you that burn?", Shoto asked his intern with disbelief. The scar was over Kasai's left eye in a similar fashion to his mentor's. While the half & half hero had a healed marking that still showed red muscle fiber, the hero in training had a black burn that still looked fresh.

Kasai sighed with a shrug, "It doesn't matter. Can we begin today's lesson already?", his tone was laced with impatient anger. Everything about the boy's standoffish attitude and demeanor reminded Shoto of his early life. The same burning passion that was shrouded in hateful ash was what drove this boy. When Endeavor had abused Shoto and his mother, the only one to stand up to him was Touya. As far as anyone could tell, Kasai had no siblings to help him. Shoto also couldn't do anything as a hero since there was no evidence, Kasai's parents would probably just say the scar on his eye came from something else. It was times like this that made the number one hero aggravated, he understood why the vigilante operated outside of the law now. That still didn't make any of this right though, he was only left with one solution.

"Very well. I'll be teaching you some self defense and how to create an 'Ultimate Move' to handle your opponents."

…

Fire thrashed about in a garbage can like it was a caged animal trying to break free. The small flames provided a warmth and smudge of light for what would probably pass as bums. The hoodlums used this guise to their advantage, in reality, they were a small faction of drug dealers. They were subtle enough to avoid being caught by pro heroes too busy dealing with larger scaled threats. For a vigilante though, being the word on the street from junkies made them an easy gang to find.

The Green Shadow didn't allow any of them to activate their quirks, using an element of surprise to his advantage. The burning barrel was used as a makeshift weapon for the vigilante, one of the drug dealers getting tossed into it. Another supplier got their arm broken since his padded fingers suggested he was a 'hand activated quirk user'. The Green Shadow then threw throwing stars into the calf of the remaining peddler, not allowing them to run away.

Small time scumbags like the crew Izuku just took out often made the best informants. They would rat out their employer after a simple beating and exile themselves out of fear soon after. Gaining information on the higher ranked criminals and making druggies reshape their lifestyle in one go was the reason why he stuck with this method.

"L- Lemme guess, you want me to tell ya s- something about Dabi, right?", the drug dealer tenderly touched the blades embedded in his leg. The trembling in his voice showed the cracks in any fake confidence he tried to use as a cover up.

It was common for flunkies to assume he wanted intel on Dabi, he usually beat the information out of them. However, this time was different. A mercenary knew his secret and told him to 'stay out of his way'. Izuku didn't know if that threat meant he'd endanger his loved ones or reveal his identity, but it was enough to make him back off. While The Green Shadow couldn't move in on the anti-hero, he COULD gather intel on him. An encounter seemed inevitable, and Izuku wanted to be prepared.

" **It's come to my attention that I might not be the only that wants something on Dabi.** ", Bakugo hadn't been kind enough to tell Izuku his anti-hero code name, so the vigilante had to pry a little deeper. " **Got any dirt on an assassin? His quirk lets him emit explosions. His temper is pretty short like his spiky blonde hair.** ", the outlaw threw in a few descriptions about the person of interest.

The dealer's shaking amplified while his pupils shrunk, realization settling in on who The Green Shadow was looking for. "Y- Yeah.. You mean 'Omo Hatsu Satsujin'.. he's like a more ruthless version of you.. wh- what do you want with him?", the terrified informant sputtered more than Izuku did when he got nervous.

The vigilante stomped on the peddler's wounded calf, applying pressure and making the man scream in agony. " **While scum like** _ **you**_ **deserve punishment, cold blooded murder isn't justice. I'm going to stop him just like any other criminal.** ", The Green Shadow hoped this would coax the drug dealer into handing out information. On one hand, he was threatening to torture him a little. The second influence was the promise of protection from the killing anti-hero.

The flunky let out a few pained gasps before shaking his head and chuckling. "Dabi's gonna save you the trouble, Omo Hatsu Satsujin has been a pain in his ass longer than _you_ have. The boss man himself sat a trap for the bastard, so be grateful that we're taking the competition off your hands.", the drug peddler spoke like he was delivering good news to the vigilante. Izuku grimaced as he thought about the danger that Bakugo was in, the anger showing through his mask. Of course, The Green Shadow would have to save the anti-hero now.

" **WHERE IS HE?!** "

…

It'd been a long time since Katsuki Bakugo entered the lair that belonged to The League Of Villains.. at least, what's left of the criminal organization. Shigaraki's bar had been claimed by Dabi shortly after the original leader's downfall. The anti-hero cursed himself for not checking the obvious location sooner, even though roughing up a punk for the information had felt good. Regardless, Bakugo had finally found Dabi.

"Care for a drink?", the kingpin of crime acted ever so casual in the murderous vigilante's presence. The patchwork villain had already poured two shot glasses full of scotch, downing his first cup before refilling it. Bakugo stared at the offered alcohol like it was poisoned, most likely, he was right. After no response from the angry blonde, Dabi shrugged. "Suit yourself. That only means there's more for me."

"That sounds fitting, since criminals usually get one last shitty meal before death.", Omo Hatsu Satsujin showed no emotion in the tone of his low growl that just barely passed as a response. Dabi could only see what the anti-hero truly felt by looking into the red eyes full of blood lust. The scowl on Bakugo's face looked like it was his normal expression.

"I don't think I'd have enough time to cook a steak.", Dabi chuckled at his own joke but his enemy remained unamused. The unsettling silence that followed passed for what felt to be several minutes, both dangerous people unmoving from their spots. "So.. Who do I have to kill for betraying me? Or did you already take care of that?", Dabi eventually broke the dead air.

The blonde scoffed at the question, instantly answering it. "I'm going to kill every son of a bitch that has to do with your sorry ass.", the promise came from a hatred that had been built up a long time ago. Bakugo's personal vendetta didn't come as a surprise to Dabi, but the verification somehow shook him.

"Then let's get this over with.", the patchwork sighed before taking another shot. The anti-hero didn't wait for Dabi to make the first move, a massive explosion from Bakugo tore through the bar and engulfed its target. Dabi's screams from the fire began to gargle like his flesh, satisfying the living grenade. However, Katsuki soon realized it was because the villain had been a decoy. Grey goop burned in the villain's place, a result of killing one of Twice's clones.

"Fuck..", Bakugo swore under his breath as he realized he fell for a trap. Purple poisonous gas began to envelope the room and Katsuki made the mistake of inhaling the toxin. Dabi had used two of his lackey's quirks, not even bothering to do his own dirty work. The anti-hero was pissed that he got bested by two underlings and struggled to crawl towards the exit. The blonde desperately tried to survive, all he needed was fresh air.

As if on cue, more henchmen came out of the wood work to stop him. The thugs wore gas masks to prevent themselves from getting affected by the gas and carried things like baseball bats or crowbars. "Well, COME ON THEN! DO YOUR FUCKING WORST!", Bakugo spat at the crew of goons. The beatdown was inevitable and he was willing to endure it.

As one of the underlings raised a pipe over Katsuki's head, the anti-hero expected his crusade to come to an end. When the bar came back down, he was surprised by something catching it mid swing. A gloved hand squeezed it before slamming the pipe back into its owner. The attack lodged the weapon loose from its user's grip. Bakugo's rescuer opted to use the metal rod and ram it into the punk's gut before cracking it over his head for extra measure. Whoever saved Katsuki, the guy's presence was enough to make the others reconsider their line of work.

" **Kacchan!** ", there was only one person that dared to call Katsuki that nickname. The Green Shadow held a spare mouthpiece like his own, and then tossed it for Bakugo to catch. The blonde instinctively caught it and slipped it over his mouth, the mask acted as a fresh supply of air.

" **Shitty Deku! What the fuck are you doing here, ya bastard?!** ", the anti-hero didn't sound the least bit grateful to his savior. Bakugo's voice somehow sounded more intimidating with the deep filter.

" **I heard you were in trouble, so I came to help!** ", the goodie two shoes vigilante shouted back. He continued to defend the anti-hero from any goons that thought their bickering served as the perfect opportunity to attack. A thug swung his bat at The Green Shadow who easily evaded it before grabbing the base and bringing his other palm down just above its handle. With the enemy's weapon broken and a shard of wood in his hand, the vigilante stabbed his opponent's knee with the jagged end.

" **I don't need your fucking help!** ", Katsuki hissed like a deadly viper. Just the mere thought of 'Deku' saving him made Bakugo pissed off. The fact that it had actually happened only made him even more irate. Kacchan took that anger out on the nearest henchman, blowing up the criminal like a firecracker.

" **No! Don't!** ", The Green Shadow stopped the fellow vigilante before he could kill another thug. A swift knee to the face of the intended target made Bakugo miss his shot.

" **I told you to stay out of my God damned way!** ", now Katsuki was furious.

" **As long as you're fighting alongside** **me** **, there'll be NO killing!** ", Izuku shouted back with equal force. The Green Shadow didn't know if it was just because Bakugo would get to fight more criminals, but he could've sworn he saw a small smile from the blonde. When Kacchan used his fists to punch rather than explode, 'Deku' took that as a common understanding.

The two were superior fighters, but still remained outnumbered. Omo Hatsu Satsujin and The Green Shadow found themselves back to back as the army of thugs closed in. The small smirk Bakugo had developed into a wild grin as Izuku displayed a phenomenal array of acrobatics and attacked head on. Katsuki took this as a sign to go all out as well and started firing off smaller explosions, less lethal ones so he wouldn't upset his 'partner'.

The Green Shadow disarmed a knife wielder by breaking his wrist before leaning back and dodging a machete swing. Two side steps let Izuku evade more attacks before he forced the blade to stab the ceiling. The vigilante then used its handle to swing from the roof and kick his opponent. When Midoriya came back down, he slammed his elbow into the thug's head. The finishing move was a roundhouse kick.

Bakugo used less unorthodox methods to disable his foes. The raging blonde jammed his thumbs into one of the men's eyes until blood oozed out and the screaming drowned in it. The next poor schmuck to challenge the anti-hero got one of their arms blown off and a broken nose with three broken ribs to match. Katsuki enjoyed every second of torturing his enemies, one got scalped and another had his jaw dislocated.

Izuku was too busy pummeling the guy in front of him, that he didn't notice a thug coming from behind. The goon got the vigilante in a good hold, but nothing he couldn't escape from. The Green Shadow threw his head back and broke his enemy's nose before elbowing whatever body part found itself in the trajectory. The vigilante then grabbed his opponent by the hair and used that grip to throw the attacker over his shoulder.

Bakugo had resorted to using objects to fight with, smashing beer bottles over heads and bar stools into backs. Midoriya primarily fought with Aikido and Shorinji Kempo martial arts, only resorting to weapons in his belt when the enemies were at long range. Throwing stars struck shoulders and knees to limit their movement and explosions completely ended it. The gruesome brawl left nobody untouched.

The victors were left panting, out of breath from the intense battle. Now that Mustard's toxin had cleared out, Omo Hatsu Satsujin removed the spare mouthpiece that The Green Shadow had given him. Bakugo huffed as Midoriya fretted over the maimed criminals, they would likely bleed out before an ambulance could arrive. The 'no killing' rule hadn't really applied to Kacchan, he never listened to what anyone told him, least of all Deku. The two were obviously going to have a dispute over the mess.

"Don't give me that stupid ass look! I don't wanna hear a fucking lecture either! You can send these shit heads to prison all you want, but when they get back out, I'LL be there to fuck their shit up! When I do my job, they don't come back for more!", Bakugo continued releasing the pent up rage from his match.

Izuku removed his mouthpiece too, but left the cowl on. "You can't just expect me to sit back and let you do this! You're murdering them! Killing people, criminals or not, makes you just as bad as the villains!", Midoriya dared to argue.

Kacchan scoffed, "So THAT'S where you draw the line! You act all high and mighty, but you're a vigilante too! I might be breaking the law, but we both know it's for the greater good!", he glared at the hypocritical Deku.

"That doesn't justify your actions. Murder is still murder. Those criminals are still your victims!", Izuku countered.

"Fucking good! FUCKING **GOOD**! They fucking deserve it!", Bakugo roared right in Midoriya's face, spit landing on the green suited vigilante's masked cheek.

Izuku waited for the blonde to calm down a little before replying, "Not all of them. What about the ones that do it for their families? The people that can't manage a regular job have to provide for their loved ones too. What they decide to do is wrong, but they figure that out after the beating I give them. What you do doesn't give them that second chance. You make their wife a widow and their kid grows up without a father because the poor guy made ONE mistake."

Bakugo opened his mouth to shout in protest, but closed it after minor consideration. The two vigilantes on opposite sides of a line glared at one another, an unspoken argument with very heavy weight to it. The staring contest didn't end any time soon, neither one refused to look away and lose.

"Think about Hatsume and what she would think.", Izuku dared to prod on.

"What about Round Face and your daughter?! Do you ever wonder what they'd think about _you_?!", Bakugo snapped. Izuku broke eye contact after that, both of them had struck a nerve with one another.

"Fine. Let's focus on the common enemy for now. Dabi clearly wants you dead, and I can only assume I'll be next on his hit list..", Izuku sighed in frustration. He could already tell from the fuming face that Bakugo gave him, any suggestion about teaming up would be a mistake. "So I can't stay out of your way like you wanted. Not with this.", Izuku was careful with how he said his words.

Kacchan spared a glance at the unconscious bodies among the corpses he left in his onslaught, a noise of approval over Deku's handiwork somehow escape his mouth. "Fair enough. As much as I'd hate working alongside a quirkless fuck like yourself, we pretty much already did. Until Dabi is dealt with.. we can have a truce.", the words somehow surprised Bakugo himself more than Izuku.

The vigilante fumbled with his mouthpiece, nearly dropping it in shock. "Oh, okay.. Yeah, I'd be willing to do that.. but with some ground rules. Like, obviously, no killing."

The anti-hero shook his head while walking away from what would have been another heated argument. "Don't push it, Deku."

…

Dabi grimaced at the sound of gravel crunching beneath the soles of his shoes. The noisy environment was unsettling and vastly annoyed him. The usual locations of exchange were held at his vacated warehouses, but recent incidents made those meeting places a liability. As for the stronghold that used to belong to Shigaraki, he was still waiting to hear back from his men to know if it was compromised. With nowhere else to retrieve what had been imported into Japan, he went to the actual delivery site.

Himiko Toga happily skipped alongside him, making the crunching sound much more irritable. The cheerful blonde only giggled when she received his a heated stare from the annoyed villain. She had accompanied him with the sole purpose of being bothersome, that's how it always felt at least. Despite any aggravation, Dabi didn't scold her for it. This seemed to pay off, when the crazed blonde realized she wouldn't get any other reaction from her partner, she stopped intentionally making noise.

Eventually, the duo reached the freight cart that contained Dabi's delivery. Like a blow torch, the fire quirked villain began to burn through the metal seal. As he did so, the walkie talkie on Toga's outfit buzzed to life. Her smile showed canine shaped teeth when hearing the radio signal someone had news regarding the bar. That grin was short lived, "I'm sorry to report.. that Omo Hatsu Satsujin managed to survive the trap."

Dabi's blue flame grew in size as it melted the steel away. Toga expressed the villain's anger in the response, "How did that even happen?! There were dozens of men and you had Mustard's gas to weaken him! Hell, **I** coulda killed em!"

The static that followed was because the radio messenger had a reason that would only upset his boss further, "Uh.. well, he had some help.. from The Green Shadow..", you could practically _hear_ the goon wincing in fear.

The container's cover exploded and crashed to the ground. Dabi turned to face Toga and held out his hand so she could give him the radio. Himiko shook like a leaf as she handed it to the patchwork villain, but not in fear, she was excited. Dabi pressed down on the button so he could speak into the walkie talkie.

"I'm going to kill you.", Dabi spoke in a calm voice despite the obvious anger that was flowing through him like lava. "Your failure cannot go unpunished. You will suffer. You will _scream_. You will **burn**. If you try to run, I'll only make the torment worse.", he hissed the threats like scolding steam. "Not only have you wasted my valuable time and resources, but now you've inconvenienced the woman I love. I have to send her to do what you grunts should have been able to manage! The only saving grace is that she'll find joy making them bleed, similar to how I'll love BURNING YOU ALIVE!", Dabi's rage erupted like a volcano as the radio melted in the palm of his fiery hand.

Himiko clapped with a genuine gleeful shriek, "I love it when you threaten people! It's so 'hot', FuFu!", she giggled at her own pun before skipping over to Dabi and planting a kiss on his scarred cheek.

"Just see to it that the vigilantes are dealt with. I can't have them interfering with my plans..", Dabi rolled his eyes with a somewhat forced sigh. He would be lying if the only thing that prevented a smile was the failure from his minions at the bar.

"Yes, dear.", Himiko teased. "Did you at least get what you wanted?", she referred to the freight car's cargo and pointed at the box it must be in.

Dabi wasted no time in opening the crate to find out. Okay, NOW he was smiling.

"Yeah. I got what I wanted."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER TWELVE**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Yes, my Author Notes will be centered like this from now on! **_

_**I bet you weren't expecting The Green Shadow to form an uneasy alliance with Bakugo! Don't worry though, as you can tell, they won't really see eye to eye and it probably won't last very long.**_

 _ **On another note, there isn't much left to Touya Todoroki's origin story! All I have to write for those flashbacks are how he got the villain name 'Dabi' (Which, I'm really proud of myself for coming up with. Is that a bad thing?) and how he met Toga in the first place. Does that mean there are only two chapters left in the Dabi arc? OooooOOoo, think about how much can happen in such a short span!**_

 _ **Let's not forget whatever that cargo was at the end! Any guesses? While you mull your theories over on that one..**_

 _ **ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon:**_

 _ **I'm really happy that's the case! It was a bold move on my part to write a chapter mainly revolving around OCs and I'm glad it didn't receive any backlash! I'm not sure if I'll ever be brave enough to do that AGAIN though.. time will tell!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman:**_

 _ **Wow, is it even worth denying that Kasai theory anymore after this chapter? Or is he truly just another red herring?**_

 _ **Jadegem02:**_

 _ **Has it really been that long since some vigilante action? Well, hopefully this chapter satisfied that craving! As for Iris and her hunt for the vigilante, that's still yet to come!**_

 _ **s082829:**_

 _ **I was wondering if anybody was going to notice that! Yes, that woman was indeed Eri, and it isn't the last we've seen of her either! In this story, Izuku never received his Provisional License, which means he never got to meet nor rescue poor Eri!**_

 _ **Phoenix X 2:**_

 _ **I feel like the real traitor reveal is bound to happen any chapter now!**_

 _ **purpleflowers10:**_

 _ **My fascination with Dabi may come off in my writing, so I'm glad that it's to your liking! All that Todoroki drama is just too good to pass up!**_

 _ **Ooobserver:**_

 _ **Good to see that last chapter still hasn't backfired on me! Between it being OC oriented and the Carame fakeout (considering some people don't like those) I'm happy with the turnout result! I also am pretty eager to work on Shinso's story some more!**_

 _ **As for all the character development and drama I've somehow managed to build up, I'm glad that paid off as well! I just hope I can juggle everything accordingly and all at once, haha!**_

 _ **So, this chapter was a little shorter than the usual ones, I apologize for that and the wait. That may have to do with the reason that.. I'm actually working on a new story to replace 'Have Fear, For I Am Here' when that ends. For those of you who read that, yep, I'm planning to finish it soon. I'll explain in the next chapter of 'Have Fear- Know what, I'm just gonna call it 'Have Fear' for short.. I'll explain more in the next chapter of 'Have Fear'.**_

 _ **That being said, I look forward to reading your thoughts on this chapter and hope to see you all next time!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	13. Bound By Blood

Ochaco would kill him if she knew where her husband currently was. Telling her that it was for heroic reasons wouldn't really work either, considering she disliked the act of vigilantism. Lying to her about it all would only make things worse, but he really had no other choice. Just like Bakugo told him, he needed to 'man the fuck up' and do whatever it takes to bring proper justice.. with the exception of killing. Izuku sighed uncomfortably while he followed Katsuki's lead, hoping the bouncer out front would turn them away. Of course, the muscular man made of rock let them in like any other occupants. It was official, Ochaco was going to kill him. Izuku willingly followed an anti-hero into a strip club.. a VILLAIN strip club!

The two vigilantes had gone in casual attire, abandoning their flashier outfits. The whole point was to blend in and discretely ask around about Dabi. The dynamic duo eventually made their way to a bar where Bakugo ordered drinks. Even the waitress and bar tender wore skimpy underwear. Izuku was thankful for the red array of lighting, it was hiding his massive blush rather well. Katsuki must have noticed and did a strange growl mixed with snickering. The noise came out as more of a slur as he downed the beer he ordered. Well, at least Bakugo had no trouble blending in with the crowd.

"Alright, I seriously fucking doubt you could handle chatting up the damn newbies, so I'll deal with those. You can handle the light work, look for 'Candice' and tell her Bakugo sent you.", Katsuki then left the counter with an empty beer bottle in his wake. Izuku was already flustered just by being in a strip club, now he was really panicking.

"Wait, Kacchan, come back! Don't leave me!", his hushed cries for help fell upon deaf ears. Bakugo never looked over his shoulder to see the frantic arm waving movements either.

"Are you gonna pay for that?", the bar tender was referring to the drink that Kacchan ordered. Izuku grumbled as he dug a hand into his pocket, realizing the blonde left him to pick up the tab.

After a long moment of hesitation, Izuku briskly weaved his way through other patrons. Finding the specific girl that Bakugo mentioned by name was going to take some social skills that the nervous man wasn't sure he had. There was always waiting for the announcer to call out the next performer, but that was a minor gamble. Izuku just didn't have enough confidence to ask a woman while they were barely clothed. The whole situation was too surreal for him, he even thought about bribing the bouncer out front for information. Then, Izuku sighed in relief when he noticed the dancers had name tags. They were pinned to their bras, so he was forced to look at their breasts, but it was easier than talking to them. Izuku secretly wished Bakugo brought Mineta along instead, at least the perverted creep would get a thrill from it.

Eventually, Midoriya found the woman named Candice. He immediately noted her quirk was a mutation type due to the fins, gills, and fish like scales. She looked like a mermaid in the current seashell getup and tried straying from any customers. The aquatic girl put on a fake smile when Izuku approached her, seductively following suite.

"B- Bakugo sent m- me!", it was the first thing Midoriya blurted out to prevent the dancer from getting too intimate. Candice instantly dropped the facade and her smile became a more rested genuine one. "Uh, s- so..", Izuku stammered as he searched for what to say next while trying not to stare at her directly. His eyes darted between the floor and ceiling while he tried to keep Ochaco's face in his mind.

"Let's talk in a more _private_ setting.", Candice cooed with a wink. Her finger gestured for him to follow before she led the way with intentionally swinging hips. Izuku knew it was still all an act, but couldn't help but swallow a nervous lump in his throat. He gingerly trailed behind the attractive mermaid until they reached a room the size of a closet. She closed a curtain so nobody could see in and made Izuku even more nervous. These were the places where the strippers did lap dances, there was a single chair waiting for him to sit in it. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything.", Candice dropped the once seductive tone. She must have noticed how uncomfortable Izuku was acting and worked to reassure him.

"S- So, how do you know K- Kacchan?", Izuku didn't divert his gaze from the floor until he realized he accidentally used Katsuki's nickname instead of 'Bakugo'. His attempt to make things less awkward failed miserly when he took in the dancer's figure. A small yelp escaped his mouth before he looked back at the ground, mumbling incoherent mantras to calm himself. He was broken from the trance by Candice's laughing, she must have found the whole thing hilarious.

"Kacchan? Is that what you call Bakugo?", the mermaid asked in between giggle fits.

Izuku began to frantically shake his head, "N- No! I mean, yeah, but don't call him that! He'll get really mad that I told you!", his warning fell upon deaf ears as the dancer smiled mischievously. His meek and timid nature soon returned and he had to face the wall from going into a panic attack. The Green Shadow could fight all sorts of criminals night after night, including evading capture from the heroes and police, but he couldn't hold one conversation with a girl who wasn't his wife.

"It'll make a fair trade for information, so I don't think he'll mind. What does 'Kacchan' want this time?", Candice crossed her arms over her chest despite keeping a smirk planted on her face.

Izuku wasn't too aware of how much the mermaid might know about Bakugo's nightly activities. He didn't want to risk giving away his alter ego by mentioning the trap Dabi had set for the anti-hero either. Approaching a particular topic with the woman put him on edge, and it wasn't due to the lack of her clothes anymore. "Anything to do with Dabi.", was what Izuku had settled on.

The smile Candice once had deflated and she huffed a heavy sigh, "I should have expected as much. Tell him it's the same news to report as always, just because I hang out with Toga, it doesn't mean-"

Izuku interrupted Candice at the mention of Himiko Toga. "If you spend time with Toga, then you can at least tell us where to find HER. Then SHE can tell us where to find Dabi.", he thought about finally putting the crazed blonde behind bars and felt a shred of relief. It didn't last long when he saw the grim expression on the mermaid's face. "You aren't going to give up Toga, are you?", Izuku sighed at his own rhetorical question.

"Himiko might be a little.. 'rough around the edges', but she isn't as bad as Dabi. She just fell in love with the wrong guy and got mixed up in everything.. kinda like me and Bakugo..", the cryptic revelation from Candice caught Izuku by surprise. He was curious by association and wanted to pry for an explanation, but apparently didn't have to as the mermaid provided one.

 _Touya Todoroki was all but forgotten, washed up in some gutter like another piece of worthless trash. The harsh downpour drenched him in woeful sorrow, but eased the newly received burns from his father. Tears mixed with rain and drained away much like Touya's sense of hope. A large screen in the city displayed the number two hero, Endeavor. The man made a mockery of Touya, telling the world the loss of his son was tragic. It was all a lie, the only tears that had been shed was by the 'dead'._

 _Another teen in distress sobbed in equal self loathing. Touya let curiosity get the better of him and followed the source of crying to find a girl with blonde hair put into buns. She too was battered and beaten, no doubt from an abusive father. She shivered in the damp alley, she barely had anything on to keep her warm. Touya would have used his quirk to forge a fire and help her, but the rain prevented him. His empathy and compassion for the poor girl led him to break a nearby store's window. It was over sized on the petite blonde, but a cardigan would hopefully be enough to warm her._

 _She graciously took the soft jacket from Touya, the burn victim was equally thankful that the blonde seemed unphased by his scars. The two forged a bond that quickly, and it would only strengthen over time. "What happened?", the question ignited like a flame from Touya. They hadn't bothered to exchange names yet, there was something much more pressing. The blonde could sense the burning passion in his voice and seemed mesmerized by it, so she told him._

" _My dad would come into my room and.. touch me..", the blonde shuddered despite the cardigan to keep her warm. It hadn't dawned on Touya that there were other forms of abuse. His physical scars were much like his brothers, but Endeavor had never gone as far as touch his sister. The discrete way of inflicting harm enraged Touya more than the one he was more familiar with. "I tried to make him stop tonight and he hurt me before throwing me out here.", the blonde had endured both kinds of abuse. Touya felt the boiling anger inside him, he couldn't just sit back and watch this happen again. He couldn't help Shoto anymore, but he could help this girl._

" _Where is he?", Touya hissed like a scorching steam. The fragile blonde pointed with a shaky finger, an apartment that must have been her home. "I'll be back.", the promise remained while Touya left. It happened so fast, another fire claimed another family. The two watched as blue flames engulfed the screams of victims. True justice had been served. Touya was about to pull the girl away and tell her not to look, but was surprised when she was the one to reach out. The blonde took his hand and held it firmly, she silently told him that she wanted to stay and watch. It was only after the fire department arrived and they left, that she voluntarily shared her name._

" _I'm Himiko Toga. Who are you?"_

"Dabi claimed her heart that day. A knight in shining armor will do that to a girl."

Izuku nodded in understanding after hearing the story told by Candice. "Something similar happened between you and Ka- Er, I mean Bakugo?", he dared a glance at the curtain like Katsuki was going to come busting through it any second.

Candice was the one looking at the floor now, "Dabi, Toga, and Bakugo were on a mission from 'The League'. It just so happened that I was.. pinned down by my own father.. when they came by.. Bakugo was the first to step in. Toga knew what to do and say since she experienced.. that. Dabi was the only one that seemed restless. He had some sort of personal vendetta with the guy they were after and I was just a distraction. He decided to go alone and help whoever 'Nomu' is.. I guess he failed to kill the target and blamed me. The only thing that stopped him from cremating me was Toga and Bakugo. They made me a 'valuable asset' and I was put here to work minimum wage for lap dances. Bakugo held a grudge against Dabi for that and keeps coming here to check up on me."

Izuku sympathized with the mermaid's explanation. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Listen, even so, if you want justice for what Dabi did.. you need to tell me where Toga is.", he decided to press her for information anyways.

Candice hesitated, but nodded. "Just don't hurt her or anything.."

"You have my word.", Izuku flashed her a reassuring smile. "I can't say the same for Bakugo though..", his joke didn't have the effect he wished, but a smile back from Candice was better than nothing.

"It's good to know he's got somebody watching his back now.", the mermaid was oblivious to the vigilante's current situation. However, Izuku would have been lying if he said he didn't feel the same way after hearing her story. The Green Shadow secretly wished the uneasy alliance would blossom into something more beneficial. After all, heroes were always better with sidekicks. An argument over who would be the sidekick sounded better than one over killing and no killing.

Izuku then patiently waited for Candice to write information on a slip of paper. Toga's usual routine had times and places that he could ambush the villain. When she finished, it was just a matter of slipping past the crowd and finding Bakugo. The two hadn't really made a rendezvous point, so he ended up roaming the bar and entrance for what felt like an hour. Eventually, Kacchan resurfaced and pulled Izuku towards the exit.

"Did Candice tell you anything useful?", Izuku answered Bakugo's question by handing him the slip of paper. After a satisfied nod, Katsuki shared what intel he managed to gather. "I asked around, and apparently Dabi got a damned shipment on some abandoned fucking train yard. Nobody knows what the fucking cargo was, but I can guess it's some shitty drug.", the new erudition was only more incentive for the two to stop Dabi.

"Well, according to what Candice gave us, we have another three hours before having the chance to do anything about it.", Izuku ran a hand through his messy green hair in aggravation. Bakugo was the surprisingly calm one and shrugged off the problem of a delay.

"It'll give us enough time for cold showers.", Katsuki then picked up the pace and brushed past his temporary partner. The baffled vigilante tried to catch up, but couldn't quite do so without jogging.

"Why would it be cold?", asked an oblivious Izuku.

…

Kasai ducked under an extended kick from Hikiyose and retaliated with his own. The green haired girl had far superior training and saw it coming, catching her opponent's foot. Kasai was then thrown by both of the fighter's momentum, but managed to back flip through the air and land on two feet. Hikiyose didn't let up and flipped frontward with another attempt to strike him with her calf. The windmill motion was caught so her leg wouldn't come down on Kasai. The boy then shoved it back and the young Midoriya cartwheeled with the push off. Both fighters panted heavily, the battle had been going on for quite some time.

Their mentor, Shoto Todoroki, watched as Kasai positioned himself for another assault. The determination in the boy's eyes was rather frightening, and he knew that it meant something bad. Shoto could tell that Kasai was preparing to use the 'Ultimate Move' that he'd been teaching him. It still wasn't quite ready yet and could prove lethal. Shoto was quick to forge an ice wall in between him and Hikiyose, ending the sparring match prematurely.

"That's enough for today. Take half an hour off and then we'll go out on patrol.", the half & half hero intervened further. Hikiyose bowed in respect before heading to the female's locker room. Kasai was about to leave too, until Shoto placed a hand on the boy's shoulder to prevent him. "I'd like a word with you beforehand."

"You're upset with me for almost using my ultimate move. That's why you ended the session so early.", Kasai was quick to put two and two together. Shoto's expression hadn't changed, but he nodded to serve confirmation. Kasai sighed in frustration before facing his mentor, "It's a move that's in my arsenal. Why shouldn't I use it in combat?"

"It's a move that's not ready yet. You could have really hurt her.", Shoto crossed his arms in disappointment. The two glowered at one another before Kasai scoffed and turned away. Shoto was used to children storming off, Iris did it all the time, especially lately. He normally let them blow off the steam, but decided this time was different. "Kasai. Being a hero means being compassionate about others.. especially your teammates. I know you haven't received much affection, I was in the same position with my parents. However, that's why you have friends. Don't do something you'll regret and lose them.", he called after the boy with the best words of wisdom he could muster.

Kasai stopped mid stride, he seemed to be complementing something. Shoto raised a curious eyebrow and expected some sort of response, but the boy soon lost all his hesitation and continued walking away. Whatever Kasai had pondered, Shoto hoped it would be for the greater good.

…

The alleyway hadn't changed a bit. Just the apartment building was replaced, beyond refurbishment and turned into some sort of casino. Himiko Toga often came to this spot to reflect on her past. All the events that led up to the current day sped by like the honking horns of traffic. Himiko liked to believe what was built over meant her father had been forgotten by everyone. In reality, Toga also knew this wasn't the truth, because _she_ remembered him. She remembered all the abuse. She remembered all the dreadful deeds. She remembered.. "Bakugo.", her frown morphed into the usual canine grin people knew her for. The blonde anti-hero had tracked her down and currently resided in the same alley.

"Alright, bitch, were you a fucking part of that shitty ass trap Dabi had set for me?", Omo Hatsu Satsujin emitted sparks from his fingertips as they desperately wanted to wring the villain's neck. The two blondes had a standoff for a moment, she didn't need to bother giving him an answer. The sparks soon turned into miniature detonations, he wanted to intimidate her. "Where the fuck is he?"

"I could ask the same thing about your vigilante pal.", Toga caught Bakugo by surprise with her statement. Himiko was clearly referring to The Green Shadow, which meant any upper hand they had by working together had been slightly diminished. "I bet he's waiting to jump me at any second. A surprise attack isn't a bad idea, if it's actually a surprise!", the blonde giggled while teasing her enemies.

" **You have one chance. Give up Dabi, and we'll let you go.** ", The Green Shadow jumped down and blocked the path behind Toga. The vigilante was on one end and the anti-hero stood guard at the other. Himiko had been boxed in by the two heroic outlaws.

"Dammit Deku..", Bakugo cursed to himself over Izuku's stupidity of giving up his position. It was also sudden news that they were going to give the villainous a chance to escape. Izuku never shared the request that Candice had given him with Bakugo. "What the fucking fuck!? We can't just fucking let this fucking little fucking lunatic run loose!", he strongly protested against his partner's choice.

"He's got a point.", Toga looked over her shoulder to address The Green Shadow. Before Izuku could reply to either one, she drew a concealed knife and charged the vigilante. "Just like this knife!", she would have laughed at her own joke if it weren't for the defensive kick from Deku that sent her flying back.

" **You REALLY aren't helping your case..** ", the vigilante growled to himself in a low tone. The crazed blonde didn't seem bothered by it and removed her cardigan to reveal a familiar harness. Izuku had faced Toga in fights plenty times before during his time at U.A. Himiko wore this particular contraption so she could drain blood from her enemies. " **Last chance.** ", it was all The Green Shadow could offer before she and Bakugo attacked one another. " **NO!** ", Izuku was quick to intercept the anti-hero's blast and deflect Himiko's blade.

"What the fucking hell, Deku?!", Bakugo fumed.

" **I told you, no killing!** ", Izuku shouted back.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! We're gonna do this shit NOW?!", Katsuki didn't back down.

During the argument, neither vigilante noticed Toga discreetly reaching for her dropped knife. Both of them were caught by surprise when Himiko jammed the blade into Izuku's shoulder. When The Green Shadow fell to a knee in pain, the crazed blonde injected her gear to siphon his blood. "Suck, suck, suck, SUCK! I'll suck you dry!", she squealed in glee.

"Not if **I** can fucking help it!", Bakugo jumped into the fray with an explosion that damaged the villain's blood extractor. The cord connecting her suction device stayed in tact though. Katsuki was about to fire off another blast, but was stopped by the vigilante yet again. "I swear to fucking God, Deku, don't get in my fucking way again, you damn bastard!"

"You'll kill her..", Izuku weakly protested. His restraining hold on the anti-hero slipped away just as fast as his blood. Toga extracted a lot of the vigilante's DNA, and if it kept going, Izuku would probably die from blood loss.

"Which is gonna stop her from killing YOU, dumbass!", Bakugo severed the cord with a directed AP Shot. Blood began to spew all over the place and Himiko quickly struggled to plug the leak. She struck Katsuki just above the knee with her knife before running away. "Fucking bitch!", Bakugo was about to chase her despite the limp. It was only Izuku's critical condition that stopped him. "Godammit Deku! You better not fucking die on me, just hold out until I get you to Mei's!"

Izuku didn't hear a word the anti-hero said, he already passed out from blood loss.

…

"Bright Umbra!"

"Dark Shadow!"

Fumikage and Verde Tokoyami summoned their demon quirks. The creatures hissed like two cats at first, but soon adopted the personality of a dog to get along. Verde had been receiving lessons from his father during the entire internship so he could have better control of 'Bright Umbra'. Much like Dark Shadow grew in power during midnight, Bright Umbra's strength amplified during the day. Taming the beasts deemed difficult, but Verde finally caught on.

"You're finally ready for the next lesson.", Fumikage smiled in pride at his son. The father ruffled the feathers on Verde's head to show affection, considering the two couldn't hug without their quirks getting intertwined. The internship had been a great bonding experience for the two, but Verde feared he didn't learn very much. There was only two days left, which meant there was only time to learn one last trick.

"I would be most thrilled if you showed me how to perform 'Black Ankh'. With Bright Umbra, I believe my defense and offense would be far greater than your own. The shining nature of Bright Umbra would somewhat blind my opponent, on top of the unique move.", Verde requested to learn the 'Ultimate Move' from his father.

Fumikage's warm smile only widened, "Very well. If it means you will surpass even me, I want you to become stronger.", Dark Shadow then donned its user like a form of armor. "In order to harness your quirk, you must stop thinking of it as its own being, and believe it is an extension of yourself.", the tutoring had already begun.

This was surprising news for Verde, he always thought of Black Ankh as an exoskeleton. Seeing Bright Umbra as a part of himself and not a separate soul had never crossed his mind considering the creature spoke its mind. With a bit of hindsight though, Verde began to understand why Bright Umbra acted on his emotions. "So, this particular quirk is like a split personality?", he tried to compare the logic to fully discern his quirk.

Fumikage shook his head, "Not quite. Think of it like a videogame character. You control and condone the virtual being's actions, but it's an extension of yourself, you aren't truly there.", that explanation helped Verde understand a little better.

The green feathered teen closed his eyes in concentration, internally linking his thoughts with Bright Umbra. All the emotions that fueled his quirk were no longer a separate entity. His conception of the being completely changed and everything finally connected. He allowed himself to merge with Bright Umbra, because they truly were one. It was time to give the Ultimate Move a try..

"White Ankh!"

…

"Honey! I'm home!"

Dabi looked up from his newspaper to see Himiko Toga coming through the door. He was about to scold her for being out so long, but all that temperament was redirected when he saw her injuries. "What happened!?", he showed his concern for her well being first. Dabi was at Toga's side in instant, making sure she wasn't hurt too bad. When the patchwork villain came to the conclusion that the wounds weren't life threatening, his anger returned. "Who did this to you?! I'll burn them alive!"

"Aaww, babe, you're so sweet.", Himiko gave Dabi an assuring huge. "It doesn't matter, I got them back!", she cheerfully claimed. That's when Dabi noticed the container full of blood on her back. "You'll never believe what I got from who I got!", her grin began to intrigue Dabi and he started to understood why she was so happy.

"Don't keep me in suspense.", Dabi tried to sound as equally excited, but it came off in a bored tone. He didn't worry about any misconceptions though, Toga knew him well and she could tell that he was genuinely interested. Her eyes lit up like her smile as she prepared to show him.

"Our favorite vigilante – WHOOPS – SECOND favorite vigilante, was kind enough to donate his blood!", Toga exclaimed. Dabi's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he realized what this meant. Himiko used a fraction of the blood so they could discover The Green Shadow's identity. Except.. they didn't really recognize the guy. Something about him was familiar, but it didn't seem to age well.

"I have no idea who that is..", Dabi deadpanned.

That slight disappointment was then fixed by the arrival of somebody else that did happen to recognize Izuku Midoriya. "Hey.. that's my teacher!", the boy exclaimed in shock. Toga disguised as Izuku cheerfully hopped up and down upon discovering the vigilante's identity. Dabi was sharing the same grin as the girl in disguise.

"Well then, son, it looks like you'll be good for something after all..", Dabi placed a prideful hand on Kasai's shoulder.

…

 _ **END CHAPTER THIRTEEN**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Looks like the true traitor has finally been revealed! A lot of you already figured this out, and it only got more obvious as I went. It was pretty fun writing a mystery character like Tobi though. By that, I mean someone that had so many clear clues to help uncover their true identity. That being said, there's still so much more to do with Kasai and I can't wait to get into it!**_

 _ **Also, please someone tell me, am I going to have to make this story rated M now? I feel like I crossed the line this chapter. I was really close to it in some of the others, but maybe I went too far this time?**_

 _ **While you all decide the fate of the story's rating.. ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman:**_

 _ **Interesting takeaway from the interaction between Dabi & Toga. I guess I can kinda see it. As for Shinso, you might be able to consider it a 'redemption' arc. Depends on the perspective!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon:**_

 _ **Uh oh, I sure hope the story hasn't become predictable! I'll have to change that!**_

 _ **Jadegem02:**_

 _ **There's still a good amount of Bakugo to write, whether that's in the form of an alliance or not, you'll just have to wait and find out! What I CAN tell you, is that I plan to make the new two chapters continue taking place during the internships. After that, they'll be back in class and we'll get to see what everybody's learned, as well as some more 'Teacher Deku'. (Is that a thing? Did I make that a thing or was it already a thing?)**_

 _ **purpleflowers10:**_

 _ **All the dynamics between Kasai, Dabi, and Toga are only bound to increase now that I've officially revealed their affiliation. The next two chapters will probably be some of your favorite if that's the case.**_

 _ **Ooobserver:**_

 _ **Kacchan and Deku's relationship in this story has got to probably be the hardest I've written, so I'm happy that it's paying off! As for Kasai and Shoto, welll, this chapter might speak for itself!**_

 _ **I don't know how much higher I can raise the stakes, but you can probably tell that chaos is about to unfold! I hope to see you in the next chapter, when the last part of Dabi's origin is revealed and so much more!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


	14. Villains Aren't Born, They're Made

Obachaji Kaminari had spent most of her internship goofing off with her father, Denki Kaminari, but she honestly didn't mind wasting the time meant for training. Like most children with pro heroes for parents, her mom and dad were often on missions. Obachaji even dared to say she enjoyed the time spent with her mother, she learned how to play a guitar and operated sound stage equipment. With only two days left to enjoy their time together, Denki talked the girls into going out for ice cream.

"When I first started learning how to control my electric shocks, I tried dialing them back until it didn't really fry my brain as much. Maybe you should try releasing yours the same way!", Denki was currently trying to coach his daughter when it came to the use of his inherited quirk.

"And your earjacks are much more useful than just listening through walls! You can also excrete sound!", Kyoka chimed in when it came to her inherited quirk.

"I know!", Obachaji groaned. This was the millionth lecture from them.. that DAY. She plugged her earjacks into her phone to listen to some music and hoped her parents would leave her alone.

"Hey honey, I got an idea! We can invite Midoriya over and have him tutor her! He's always been good with other people's quirks!", Denki turned his attention to his wife when he saw Obachaji ignore them.

"Well, I suppose you're right about that.. after all, he was the one to help you learn how to stop short circuiting yourself.", Kyoka half agreed/half teased her husband with a playful shove.

Denki opened his mouth with the intent for a comeback, but was jolted back by his wife. "Hey, what gives?!", he shouted. Obachaji took notice of the sudden stop and also raised a curious eyebrow, but didn't bother to turn down her music.

"Oh no.. not that bitch.. let's go somewhere else.", Kyoka growled in a hushed whisper to Denki. The confused blonde turned his head to see who his wife was talking about, but received a whack from one of her earjacks as a result. "Don't look, ya idiot!"

"Hey! Hey, Kaminaris, over here!"

Kyoka and Obachaji mouthed an inaudible 'fuck', both unprepared for human interaction.

"Oh, hey honey, look, it's the Seros!", Denki smiled and politely waved back at the family. He then caught the annoyed expression from his wife and daughter, "Ooohhh..."

Bottom line, the Seros were too upbeat and cheerful for the female Kaminari's liking. Regardless, they were forced into interacting with one another now.

…

Iris Todoroki had been forced into a corner, barely holding off against the rapid fire of lasers. Her usual sparring lessons with Spectrum Forge ended this way. A rule had been set in place to improve the young Todoroki's range of creativity. After creating an ice construct once, Iris wasn't allowed to make the same object during combat. The intern could only think of a few ways to shield herself from the bright beams of her mentor before running out of options to defend. Iris created a escutcheon to block a glowing hammer from Spectrum Forge while mulling over other possibilities of protecting herself. As the ice crumbled away and Iris slid back on a slick surface, she watched her mentor conjure a lance. The shields and swords the two kept creating during their match continuously resembled a battle between knights. That's when an idea dawned on Iris.

The heroine in training felt a shiver run up her spine as she began to use her quirk on herself. The ice began to encase her arms first, a hard coating spread further across her body. Much like a knight, the young Todoroki was soon wearing armor. Astonishingly, the ice acted like an exoskeleton and provided perfect mobility. Iris then worked off of the frosty hauberk to retaliate with protrusions. The ice lengths acted like tentacles as they reached for Spectrum Forge. The pro hero created a glowing machete to hack through them like undergrowth. Iris flexed her fingers like the severed pieces were other appendages and made those ice fragments shed protrusions as well. They would soon overwhelm Spectrum Forge and she'd be bound by the newly improvised attack.

Spectrum Forge wriggled and writhed in the restraints before tapping out. "You've come a long ways.", the pro hero praised her intern. The victory meant a lot to Iris, considering it was her first time winning while sparring with Spectrum Forge. The young Todoroki had also learned two new moves that could be incorporated into future maneuvers. The ice unsheathed and receded on both heroines before Iris helped her mentor get off the floor. "I think that's enough training for now. What do you say to a lunch break?", Spectrum Forge shared a hungry grin with her apprentice. The question was answered when the young Todoroki's stomach growled and Iris was forced to respond with an eager nod.

"I've been meaning to try a new noodle shop not too far from here. Mind if we eat there?", Iris hoped her suggestion would be considered. Spectrum Forge couldn't help but giggle when seeing the pleading expression on her student's face. Kasai had recommended the restaurant and Iris desperately wanted to try its ramen.

"That sounds fine with me, but you're paying.", Spectrum Forge couldn't resist teasing the girl. Much to her surprise, Iris didn't groan or complain about it. The young Todoroki came from a wealthy family and received a hefty allowance as the result. "I- I was only joking about you paying!", the pro hero tried to take back the burden of buying the meals. Iris was polite and humble enough to reassure Spectrum Forge and uphold the promise of paying for the bill.

Much to the duo's surprise, they weren't the only ones that decided to eat at the specified restaurant for lunch. Kasai had somehow managed to talk his own mentor, Shoto Todoroki, into taking them to the same place. Iris wasn't too thrilled to see her father again so soon, but she enjoyed the company of her friends. Hikiyose was quick to make conversation and not so discretely mentioned Kasai's plan to get them into the same noodle shop for lunch. Iris appreciated the gesture and carried on with her friends while the pro heroes got their own table to converse at.

The day turned out to be one full of surprises when another sensei entered the restaurant. Izuku Midoriya basically skipped into the noodle shop with girlish waves. Shoto raised an eyebrow at this, it seemed way too out of character and a tad suspicious. The whole group was shocked to see Izuku, but his daughter was the first to make an audible response. "Dad?!", Hikiyose practically cried out.

Izuku paused for a moment, his gaze shifted to Kasai and back to Hikiyose. The man gave a slow nod to his daughter and the massive grin on his face somehow widened. "Yes, that's me! Totally your father! How's daddy's little girl?", the greeting made Hikiyose groan in embarrassment. Kasai had to hide the fact that he rolled his eyes by face palming. Shoto's suspicions continued to raise as he watched the interaction and Spectrum Forge remained out of the loop. The shining heroine decided it was best to stay out of it to avoid making things any more awkward.

"So.. Midoriya, what do we owe this unexpected visit?", Shoto cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention and chimed in. Izuku's grin faltered a little before settling into a sly smirk.

"Oh, Shoto-Kun, you're so silly! Why else would I be here?", Izuku surprised the half & half hero by invading his personal space. A mild massage on the pro hero's shoulders was odd coming from Izuku to say the least. "I was hoping to speak with my students for just a teeny tiny moment, specifically Iris and Kasai!", he elaborated in a sing song fashion.

Shoto was about to pry further, but was interrupted by the scraping of the chair legs scraping as they were pulled out. Kasai and Iris had both stood up, willing to follow their sensei and unaware of his strange behavior as far as Shoto could tell. Izuku's smirk turned back into a toothy grin as he lightly tapped Hikiyose on the nose, "Sorry to leave you out darling, maybe next time."

The next person to stand up was none other than the number one hero himself. "I'm going for a walk. Spectrum Forge, please stay here and watch young Midoriya for me.", Shoto strolled towards the door while giving his orders. Just to be safe, the half & half hero planned to follow Izuku and the children he had taken with him.

…

It had been a quiet day in Hatsume's workshop, she had even decided to close early. Keeping that in mind, it came as a shock when hey boyfriend kicked open the door with The Green Shadow slung over his shoulder. The vigilante looked completely drained, his face mask equipment had been removed and the lack of a face guard was showcasing his pale skin. What shocked Mei even further, was her boyfriend's attire. There was obviously a lot happening all at once, but the mechanic was quick to act on saving her friend's life first.

"What happened?!", Hatsume rummaged through a med-kit while asking for the details. Mei didn't need to use the miniature flashlight to see the vigilante's pupils were dilated. The Green Shadow's eyes lolled about, rolling around and daring to fall into the back of his head. Hatsume placed a hand on the victim's forehead, expecting a fever but discovering cold & clammy sweat. "Wet a washcloth, make sure it's cold water!", she barked an order while waiting for the prior question's answer.

Bakugo grumbled to himself, but obliged and followed Mei's instructions. "The dumb fuck got himself stabbed and his shitty blood drained from a crappy device.", Katsuki recalled the alley fight with Himiko Toga.

Hatsume did a temporary job of patching up the knife wound before racing to a locked cabinet. "He'll need a blood transfusion then! Do you know what type he is?!", Mei unlocked the case and dug through emergency blood bags.

"Why the fuck should I know? I think it's fucking O..", Bakugo huffed as he shared the information. When they were children, Izuku's mother had sat with Katsuki and given him all sorts of emergency information, including medical history. Inko had been one of those overprotective moms, and the worry for her son's safety paid off.

After Mei managed to hook up the proper equipment and blood pumped into the vigilante's veins, she allowed herself to relax a little. The stab wound had already been treated and just needed to be stitched, and then her work would be done. As the mechanic tended to the recovering vigilante, Bakugo couldn't help but watch in fascination. "How did you get so good at bandaging and shit? Were you a nurse at one point?", Katsuki shifted uncomfortably as he asked the question. If he had been upfront about his alter ego like Deku, then Mei could have saved him the trouble of ice baths every night. Any scars from the anti-hero's outings were left as permanent markings due to the lack of treatment.

"When you blow up half your inventions, you kinda need the extra blood and bandages.", Hatsume sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. Bakugo scoffed at the action, it reminded him of Izuku and the answer sounded more like an excuse. It was now Hatsume's turn to scoff and ask a question, "So, are you gonna tell me why you're wearing that getup and were able to bring back Deku?"

Bakugo hung his head, he didn't know if it was in shame or anger that she found out. "It's true, okay? Fuck. I'm a vigilante like shitty Deku.", he avoided making eye contact but managed to face Mei.

Hatsume crossed her arms over her breast, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

That was the part Katsuki wanted to avoid. He feared that she would react like Deku, or worse, that she would be scared of him. "I'm.. I'm not a pussy vigilante like fucking Deku over there. When I fuck up a bad guy, I make sure they stay the fuck down.", Bakugo dared to look at Hatsume again and saw she didn't fully understand what he meant. "I kill them, dammit Mei, I kill the fuckers! Is that so bad?!", Katsuki couldn't help the outburst that followed.

Hatsume was the one who couldn't face the other now, she shuddered thinking about her boyfriend being a murderer. "I get it now.. that's why you wanted me to go with you to Deku's house, that's what led to all of this. You knew Deku would get in your way and.. used me as blackmail?", Mei began showing the same anger as Bakugo as she pieced the fucked up puzzle together.

Katsuki resisted flinching at her reaction and reached for her, "It isn't entirely like that..", Hatsume harshly pulled away from his hand. Bakugo's frustration got the better of him and he snapped back, "This is why I didn't fucking tell you! Let me guess, you're gonna say I'm just as bad as the fucking villains, right? You agree with shitty fucking Deku?!"

"You aren't doing anything to show me otherwise! You USED me, Katsuki! You used your girlfriend! How do you think that makes me feel?!", Mei began yelling back. The two had trouble suppressing their anger at this point and let it all out through tears and shouting.

All of the screaming managed to wake up The Green Shadow, he stirred on the mattress and slowly gained his bearings. A weak and heavy hand found itself tugging at the IV, the vigilante barely made out the machine through blurry vision. His ears continued picking up the raising noise of his friends arguing, both of them flinging valid points at one another. His tired and meek voice came out as a whisper that he didn't expected them to hear, "Stop fighting.. please.."

"Deku, don't sit up, take it easy!", Mei dropped her attitude and quickly rushed over to her patient's side. She reassured the injured vigilante that the argument was over and tended to him while ignoring Bakugo's presence.

"Yeah. It's over.. For both of you.."

The statement from Katsuki startled both Mei & Deku. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!", Hatsume hissed in anger.

Bakugo simply waved the mechanic off and briskly exited the workshop. The other vigilante could no longer lay back and do nothing, so he propped himself up on his elbows to lean forward. Despite Mei's protests, The Green Shadow climbed out of bed and unhooked the IV.

"I've gotta go after him..", Deku staggered towards the door while pulling on his mask.

"You need to rest, why are you bothering with him anymore?", Hatsume was still crying from her argument and it leaked over into the current predicament.

The Green Shadow snapped his mouthpiece into place, completing the mask. He gave Mei one last glance.

" **Because.. he's my friend."**

Mei shook her head in exasperation.

"Deku.. I don't think he is.. not anymore."

…

Iris had been so distracted by her conversation with Kasai, that she didn't realize Izuku had led them into a bar. She finally took in her surroundings, noticing the place looked brand new, like it was completely prepared for her arrival. Her confusion must have shown through, because Izuku and Kasai were already explaining the situation.

"Don't be mad, don't freak out, just keep an open mind.", Kasai sounded like he was pleading to her.

"We went through a lot of trouble to get you here! I can't believe it's finally happening!", Izuku couldn't stop hopping up and down in glee with a self applause. She now understood why he had done things like this consistently, the out of character actions & remarks suddenly became painfully obvious. The green haired man that she knew as her sensei suddenly turned into a blonde woman. Grey goop melted from the body, a result of this lady's quirk. Iris internally groaned that she fell for a shape shifting styled quirk. "I've wanted to meet my niece for so long! You can call me Aunt Toga, or Aunt Himiko, or whatever you want!", the giddy girl exclaimed.

Another realization suddenly dawned on poor Iris, the revelation of the relationship she had with this woman only meant one thing. "What your aunt meant to say.. was that we didn't have a proper introduction the last time.", her uncle covered in burn marks was also present. Dabi revealed his position from the shadows, she was effectively trapped by the villains.

"Come on, Kasai, we can still get out of here! We can beat them!", Iris attempted to create an attack formation with her friend and fellow classmate. When the boy wouldn't budge, when he refused to fight back to back with her, she finally made the connection. "No.. Kasai, please don't tell me..", Iris stumbled away from him in absolute terror.

Kasai stared into the girl's eyes, she had a look of utter betrayal. Before the boy could respond, Himiko leaped in between them with that usual cheerful attitude. "Yep, we're his parents! We had our little Kasai infiltrate U.A with the sole purpose of bringing you here!", she seemed to speak for her son.

Kasai hung his head, almost looking ashamed. "It's true.", was all he managed to add to the statement.

It suddenly made so much sense. All the conversations they had about their fathers and why it had been such a touchy topic for the both of them whirled around her mind. Kasai's interest in Shoto Todoroki, it all felt like an elaborate ploy now. Even the boy's quirk was a sinister creation between the two villains, Toga's blood type and Dabi's fire side made a destruction combination. Igniter Fluid, he could burn through DNA like gasoline.

"He was the one that gave us the information on the U.S.J. That was only one of the many times he failed to extract you. After so many chances being squandered, I lost my patience. Having Hypno brainwash the Nagaidesu boy was of my own behalf.", Dabi added fuel to the fire in the young Todoroki's heart.

"This whole time.. you were trying to use me as a bait to get my father? Or what, kill me?", Iris felt like she was buried in despair.

"It started that way.. but as I got to know you, I learned we have so much in common! You understand what your father is and the vigilante, the truths between heroes and villains, how they're all labels. I vouched for you, please, you can be apart of something greater like you wanted.", Kasai spoke up before his parents could say anything. His look showed genuine passion, but only through one eye. The scarred side looked like something more sinister, it glared like Dabi's expression and Iris knew better than to accept the offer.

"She'll never join you!", Shoto Todoroki spoke for his daughter while creating a barrier of fire between her and the villains. "I knew there was something off about Midoriya, I should have figured it was you.. Toga.", the half & half hero stood in front of Iris in a protective manner.

"He followed you?!", Dabi's hands fumed with his anger at Himiko.

"Don't be like that, babe, think of it as a family reunion!", Toga exclaimed.

Kasai felt the eyes of Shoto & Iris on him, the other two were drowned out by the inferno. "Iris, run!", Shoto ushered his daughter out the door and sealed it with ice. Kasai was about to pursue her, but ended up being pulled away by his own parent.

"Come on, Kasai, your dad has a few things to work out with your Uncle Shoto!", Toga giggled while dragging her son away from the inevitable battle.

Dabi stepped through the barrier his brother had created, unharmed by the flames.

"Shoto."

" _Touya..?"_

 _It was years before Touya was left in the fire to die by his own father. It was a simpler time, with two brothers curled up on a couch watching a movie together. The film was essentially a ripoff of America's 'The Lion King', but Shoto was too young to mind. The young boy looked to his older brother with a question in bound._

" _What is it, Shoto?", Touya raised a curious eyebrow._

" _What's a.. d- daa, da-", the young boy had trouble pronouncing the word._

" _A daddy?", Touya guessed what Shoto meant to say. The younger brother nodded in confirmation. Touya sighed, he expected as much. The film was about fatherly love, something Endeavor never showed any of his children. "A daddy is someone that.. cares for his kids, like, really cares. He spends time with them and wants to make them happy.", Touya did his best to describe the definition despite their own father being far from it._

 _Shoto looked to the side for a moment, as if he was pondering what his older brother told him. Touya worried that the boy would realize what Endeavor failed to be. When Shoto looked back, he had a small smile. "Then, **you're** kinda like my da- daa- Dabi.", the young boy pronounced the title wrong in an adorable manner._

 _Touya felt his heart clench. He was supposed to be this boy's older brother, not his father._

 _That didn't stop him from accepting the name though._

Shoto stood across from his older brother. It had been a long time since the two last saw eachother.

Touya said his brother's name again, but this time, without any resentment held.

"Shoto.."

The number one hero stared the number one villain in the eye before responding.

"Dabi.."

…

 _ **END CHAPTER FOURTEEN**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

 _ **Sorry for the wait! I hope it was worth it.**_

 _ **So, that's the last of Dabi's origin. Next chapter will be the conclusion of that story arc, the fated battle between brothers!**_

 _ **On another note, I recently released a new story! Another quirkless version of Izuku Midoriya, but this one is a villain! If you haven't already, I'd appreciate it if you checked that out! It's called 'World So Cold'.**_

 _ **That being said.. ONTO REVIEWS!**_

 _ **Sunshine's Armageddon:**_

 _ **I think I've said this before, but I agree, this version of Bakugo is probably the hardest I've written. I want to keep the 'same ol Kacchan', but also show how much he's grown with age. Sorta like I did with Izuku and his stuttering/murmuring. Hopefully I can manage to keep that up for as long as that arc goes.**_

 _ **patrickthenobleman:**_

 _ **That is actually a MUCH better codename than the one I went with. I should have asked you all what to choose like I did with Izuku's vigilante alias. However, I think you may find some comfort in knowing Omo Hatsu Satsujin roughly translates to Lord Explosion Murder. I just took the Baku part out of Bakuhatsu, which means that's pronounced 'splosion', which makes it ten times better.**_

 _ **As for the family interactions, I love writing those. Especially the Todorokis, Tokoyamis, and Midoriyas. I have to find a way to work more of that in! Especially when it comes to confrontations!**_

 _ **purpleflowers10:**_

 _ **Yeah, I do apologize for the somewhat shorter chapters, it's surprisingly hard to get a high word limit. I try and aim for 5,000 at the least, but sometimes settle for around 4,000.**_

 _ **As for Kasai's and Iris's relationship, I love a fire & ice romance, but they are unfortunately cousins. I don't want to implore incest, they never really kissed or anything, so those feelings could be considered a confusion for brotherly/sisterly love. We'll see!**_

 _ **Jadegem02:**_

 _ **I'm happy that reveal came as a surprise for some readers! It was like Tobi in Naruto, I desperately made up lies and excuses to hide his somewhat obvious identity when my friends watched it haha!**_

 _ **As for the internships and Bakugo, there wasn't too much this chapter, but I can probably fit in some good stuff in the next as I close out the arc!**_

 _ **Guest:**_

 _ **I hope you'll love this as much as I do: Omo Hatsu Satsujin roughly translates to Lord Explosion Murder. A lot of the names I pick out have literal or comedic translations, so feel free to ask or search them up!**_

 _ **Ooobserver:**_

 _ **I'm glad I could stump you with another cliffhanger, those are my pride and joy! There's plenty more of those to come, so get ready!**_

 _ **Before I close out this chapter, I want to thank you all for over 100 followers and favorites! You're the best!**_

 _ **Hope to see you next time!**_

 _ **~MentalMind**_


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